A bill that was approved on Wednesday expands the prohibition on surrogacy in Italy to encompass those who go to nations where the practice is permitted, like the US or Canada.
Lawbreakers risk fines of up to €1 million (£836,000) and prison terms of up to two years.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party initially introduced the proposed bill, which aims to uphold what she considers to be traditional family values.
Critics counter that it makes it increasingly difficult for LGBTQ couples to have children legally.
Despite Italy’s drastically falling birth rate, protesters argued the government was attacking LGBTQ people and harming those who wished to have children during a demonstration on Tuesday before the vote in the country’s parliament.
A medal ought to be awarded to anybody who has a child. Instead, if you don’t have children the conventional way, you’re put in jail. Italian LGBTQ rights activist Franco Grillini told the Reuters news agency.
