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Southern Europe
Why Giorgia Meloni fights for the family
In a new move to defend traditional family values, the Italian authorities removed lesbian mothers from birth certificates on Friday. Why is the family so important to Prime Minister Meloni? Only biological parents should appear on a birth certificate. That is the strong conviction of the public prosecutor of the…
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Western Europe
Dutch court: Child does not need a mother after birth
A Dutch court ruled that intended parents can have their child's birth certificate drawn up without the surrogate mother's name. “A woman is thus reduced to a womb.” Although the two men were “unable to realise their desire for children on their own”, according to the court in The Hague,…
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Western Europe
Dutch government plans to regulate surrogacy
The Dutch government wants to forbid women to bear children for profit. But altruistic surrogacy should be made easier. Women will also be allowed to offer themselves in advertisements. “Something is going to shift.” This said Minister Franc Weerwind of Legal Affairs (D66) on Friday afternoon. Any form of payment…
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Northern Europe
New Finnish government chooses for Christian values
Family values are central for the new Finnish government. In the coalition talks, the Christian Democrats have had a significant impact on medical and ethical issues. It will be the “most right-wing government since World War II”, said the Finnish public broadcaster Yle on Tuesday. Although with four parties from…
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Eastern Europe
“Belarus has its own Bonhoeffers”
Christians in Belarus suffer from the oppression of the Lukashenko regime. But because of the repression within the country, fellow Belarusians abroad should be their voice. When the police came, it looked like they had to arrest a terrorist. Armed with machine guns, they kicked in the flat door and…
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European Union
European politicians fear changing tide in surrogacy debate
Surrogacy violates human rights and should therefore be banned, some European parliamentarians say. But that is easier said than done, experts warn. The experts and MEP gathered at a conference on surrogacy on Tuesday in the European Parliament in Brussels. According to the organisers, the European Union is taking initiatives…
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Opinion
Lennart's comment: Why we should not forget Anne Frank
The approaching death of the last Holocaust survivor makes Holocaust education more important than ever. But how do you keep the youth involved?Two weeks ago, my wife and I visited Germany's capital Berlin for a short vacation. In a city packed with history, the aftermath of the Berlin Wall stands…
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Western Europe
Surrogacy expert slams proposed Dutch regulation, predicting increased demand
Only one in 50 surrogate mothers has no financial interest. The other 49 women carry someone else’s child for commercial reasons. Yet, the Dutch government will draft legislation that allows altruistic surrogacy. “If you regulate the practice, it will spread massively.” The Dutch Reformed SGP party is “somewhat baffled” by…
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Eastern Europe
The Russian surrogacy industry is collapsing
The Russian surrogacy industry is “collapsing”. People working in the market fear an exodus to other countries in an attempt to get a child through cross-border surrogacy. New legislation in Russia and the war in Ukraine dealt a heavy blow to the Russian surrogacy industry. At some clinics, the number…
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Opinion
Lennart's comment: In family policy debate, the child is often forgotten
When we debate family policies without considering the child’s perspective, the outcome of our decisions today will haunt us later.In recent weeks, the formation of families has become a topic of discussion in southern Europe. In Italy, Meloni's conservative government instructed Milan's city council to stop registering children in same-sex…
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