The Italian state's
representative in Naples has partially annulled the birth
certificate of a boy registered by the city's municipal
authority as having two mothers as it does not conform to
national law, her office said on Thursday.
Italy still lacks a civil unions or gay marriage law, so
births to same-sex married couples are not officially
recognized.
Left-leaning Naples Mayor Luigi De Magistris, who supports
extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, had threatened to
take legal action over an order he received from the prefect to
cancel the transcription of the birth certificate.
"I believe that the law should help the process of
recognition of rights for those that lack them," De Magistris
said. "We filled a gap and our conscience is clear," he said.
Prefect Gerarda Pantalone had ordered De Magistris to
correct "errors" in the birth certificate by Thursday otherwise
she said she would do it herself.
These included naming a woman in the "father" section,
because legally only a man can be considered in this field. She
said only the boy's biological mother should be named on the
certificate.
The mother is legally married in Spain to another woman.
Last week, Italy's highest administrative court, the
Council of State, annulled a lower court ruling that had
approved the registration of gay unions contracted abroad.
The ruling was a blow to gay rights campaigners tired of
waiting for lawmakers to give same-sex couples some form of
legal recognition in Italy.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA