Italy’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the practice of naming a child solely after its father should come to an end, stating that the custom was “discriminatory and harmful to the identity” of the child.
The court ruled a child should carry the last name of both parents, in whichever order the parents choose, to allow children to feel they belong to both parents. Parents will still have the option of using only one surname for the child if both parents mutually agree to it.
“In the wake of the principle of equality and in the interest of the child, both parents must be able to share the choice on his surname, which constitutes [a] fundamental element of personal identity,” a statement from the court issued on Wednesday said, according to Romper.
The Italian Parliament would have to draft and approve new legislation to implement the ruling. The current law requires that a child take the surname of their father, except when the father is unwilling to participate in the child’s life.
Italian Family Minister Elena Bonetti posted her support of the ruling on Facebook. She revealed the government would throw its support behind the decision to make it law and a priority.
Bonetti said she believed the shared responsibility of bringing up a child was reflected in the ruling.