The centre-left Democratic Party
(PD) said Monday it does not intend to remove a clause from its
bill on civil unions for same-sex couples allowing partners to
adopt each other's biological children.
"The PD does not support removing (the clause)," said Lower
House PD whip, Ettore Rosato.
"We're working on a parliamentary majority in order to
approve the bill".
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano from the small New Center
Right (NCD) party, a junior member of the ruling left-right
coalition, has been pressing the PD to remove the so-called
stepchild adoption clause or risk losing NCD backing on the
bill, currently at its first reading before the Senate.
Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin of NCD on Monday renewed
calls for the provision to be removed from the bill and
considered at a later date as part of a review of existing
adoption and fostering legislation.
Stepchild adoption is also being opposed by some Catholics
and conservatives within the PD itself.
Matters have been further complicated by an announcement
from the leader of the anti-establishment, opposition 5-Star
Movement (M5S), Beppe Grillo, leaving his MPs free to vote their
conscience on the stepchild adoption clause.
Last week, M5S Senator Alberto Airola said the Movement
"won't vote for a watered-down version of the bill, which is why
we didn't file any amendments to it".
However it later turned out that the M5S grassroots is
divided over whether or not gays should be allowed to adopt
their partners' children - as straight couples are allowed to
do.
In Italy, children with gay parents currently risk ending
up in the foster system if their biological parent dies because
the surviving partner has no custody rights.
Also on Monday, members of the center-right Area Popolare
(AP) caucus in the Senate said they oppose not just the
stepchild adoption clause but other measures that allegedly make
civil unions equal to heterosexual marriage before the law.
"And this will bring with it generalized adoptions in any
court," said AP Senators Maurizio Sacconi and Nico D'Ascola.
Unmarried couples are banned from adopting children under
current law.
AP is made up of the NCD plus the small, centrist Union of
Christian Democrats (UDC).
Discussion and voting on the bill is due to begin on
Tuesday.
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