Maternità surrogata come reato “universale”: considerazioni di diritto internazionale e dell’Unione europea

With the latest amendment to the law regulating surrogacy, which was approved by one of the Chambers of the Italian Parliament in July 2023, Italy intends to criminalize surrogacy as a (quasi) ‘universal’ crime. This contribution aims to explore the potential implications of this legislative development for the international obligations of Italy and the protection to be granted, both directly and indirectly, to people resorting to surrogacy abroad. To this end, the contribution starts with some preliminary remarks. Firstly, the classification of surrogacy as a ‘universal’ crime is inaccurate under international law. Secondly, the enduring and stereotypical notion of surrogacy as a violation of human rights appears problematic and needs to be reconsidered in light of the recommendations released at the United Nations. Against this backdrop, the contribution examines the legal safeguards that have emerged in relation to surrogacy in the context of the Council of Europe, with specific reference to the European Convention on Human Rights and the doctrine of the margin of appreciation granted to Contracting States by the European Court of Human Rights. The contribution then briefly analyses the protection provided by EU law. It starts from the observation that the Italian extended ban on surrogacy may have implications for the exercise of EU fundamental freedoms and evaluates what impact it has in the context of the current judicial cooperation between Member States in criminal matters. In the end, the contribution raises considerable doubts as to whether the far-reaching ban on surrogacy that Italy aims to introduce can alter the difficult balance of competing interests that has progressively crystallised, at the European level, to protect the rights of all people involved.