Alfano says 'never threatened' govt over civil unions bill

(ANSA) - Rome, February 5 - Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Friday he never threatened the government over a stepchild adoption measure in its civil unions bill now before the Senate. "I will do everything I can to reach an agreement," Alfano told RAI public broadcaster. The minister is from the small New Center Right (NCD) party, a junior member of the ruling left-right coalition led by Premier Matteo Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD).
    "But the PD should prove it represents the entire nation, given that a majority of Italians are against gay adoptions. I will vote for the bill if gay adoptions are removed. I am in favor of rights for gay couples. I am absolutely open".
    Alfano went on to say he realizes gay couples' inheritance rights "need to be enlarged" in cases of the death of a spouse.
    "We must respect everyone's ties of affection, but what do adoptions have to with it? Let's divide the issues," he added.
    Right now the children of same-sex couples risk ending up in the foster system if one of their parents die, because the surviving parent has no legal custody of them.
    The bill now before the Senate would also extend to partners in a civil union some of the rights heterosexual married couples enjoy, such as the right to inherit a deceased spouse's benefits and property, or to make decisions in their stead should one partner become incapacitated.
    Italy is the only West European country without gay marriage or civil unions, and the European Court of Human Rights in July 2015 condemned the country for failing to give gay couples legal "recognition and protection", saying the State must change its laws to remedy that.
    At the weekend, hundreds of thousands of people attended a Rome rally against the bill called Family Day. The previous weekend, even more turned out across Italy in favour of the bill.