In a historic first, an Italian court
has allowed a lesbian to adopt the child of her partner.
The 5-year-old girl was conceived
through artificial insemination in another European country.
The women, who also married abroad,
have raised the child together in their home in Rome.
Gay couples are not allowed to marry or
adopt in Italy.
However, the court said it would allow
the adoption to proceed because it was in “the best interest of the
child.”
Same-sex parenting is a “different”
kind of parenthood which is positive and must be recognized as such,
the 4-judge panel of the District Court for Minors ruled.
LGBT rights advocate the Mario Mieli
Society for Gay Culture described the ruling as an “historic step
for our country.”
“We applaud the court which, with
this ruling, has anticipated the law and recognized that this child,
born to a gay couple, has the same rights as any other child,” said
Andrea Maccarrone, the group's president, referring to a proposed
civil unions bill which would allow gay couples to adopt the children
of their partners.