ITALY: REFERENDUM ON ABOLISHING STRICT LAWS ON ASSISTED PREGNANCY LOOKS SET TO FAIL DUE TO LOW TURNOUT

Record ID: 648861

  • Title: ITALY: REFERENDUM ON ABOLISHING STRICT LAWS ON ASSISTED PREGNANCY LOOKS SET TO FAIL DUE TO LOW TURNOUT
  • Date: 15th June 2005
  • Summary: (EU) ROME, ITALY (JUNE 13, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. OFFICIALS IN POLLING STATION 2. MAN REGISTERING AND GOING TO VOTE 3. WOMAN STAMPING REGISTRATION FORMS 4. WOMAN VOTING (SEPARATE BOX FOR EACH OF THE FOUR POINTS) 5. POLLING STATION DOORS CLOSED 6. VARIOUS OF ENVELOPES CONTAINING VOTER REGISTRATIONS BEING STAMPED 7. BOX BEING OVERTURNED/ BALLOTS FALLING ONTO TABLE 8. CLOSE-UP BALLOT PAPERS 9. BALLOT PAPERS ON TABLE 10. CLOSE-UP OPENED BALLOT PAPER 11. VARIOUS OF BALLOT PAPERS BEING SORTED 12. SOUNDBITE (Italian) DANIELE DECARLI, ELECTORAL WORKER, SAYING: "In this polling station we had about thirty eight - forty percent turnout. (Question: more women than men?). More women." 13. VARIOUS OF BALLOTS BEING SORTED 2.28 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th June 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA5DFY74O4TCOSV93CVSV53HDM4
  • Story Text: A referendum on abolishing Italy's strict laws on
    assisted pregnancy looks set to fail as not enough people
    turned out to vote.

    Polling in Italy's referendum on changing the
    country's strict fertility laws closed at 15:00 local time
    (1300GMT) on Monday (June 13, 2005) with initial turnout figures
    indicating not enough people turned out to make the
    referendum valid.

    Preliminary results showed only 25.6 percent of
    eligible voters cast a ballot during the two days of
    voting, leaving the referendum far short of the 50
    percent-plus-one quorum needed.

    Some polling stations quoted higher turnout figures but
    still not enough.

    "In this polling station we had about 38-40% turnout,"
    said Daniele Decarli, an electoral worker in a polling
    station in central Rome.

    Bishops had urged a boycott of the poll and priests had
    used pulpits to rally the faithful behind the slogan: "Life
    cannot be put to a vote: don't vote".

    The low turnout was a crushing blow for campaigners who
    battled against the 2004 law which bans egg and sperm
    donors, embryo research and freezing, and only allows three
    eggs to be fertilised each time, making it the most
    conservative in Europe.

    The number of infertile couples seeking fertility help
    abroad has tripled since the law was approved.

    The vote was seen as a test of the Church's influence
    in Italy at a time when it is losing clout in developed
    countries. It could mean a long-awaited victory after it
    lost referendums in the 1970s and early 1980s which
    approved divorce and abortion in the Catholic country.

    In his first foray into Italian politics since he was
    elected in April, Pope Benedict threw his support behind
    bishops leading the campaign for a boycott, calling them
    truly good pastors who wanted to enlighten the choices of
    Catholics.

    The law was introduced to stop what had been described
    as Italy's "Wild West", unregulated approach to fertility
    treatment. In one case a doctor helped a 62-year-old woman
    have a child in the 1990s and cloning seemed around the
    corner.

    The campaign in favour of the referendum recruited pop
    stars and actors, including Monica Bellucci who famously
    demanded to know what politicians and priests knew about her ovaries.

    Campaigners say the Vatican has interfered in domestic
    affairs with its campaign in favour of a boycott and they
    now fear the political pendulum may be swinging back to
    more conservative policies and that the legal status of
    abortion may be under threat as the assisted pregnancy law
    recognises legal rights of the embryo.

    Equal Opportunities Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo,
    the first minister to break ranks with the government on
    the matter, believes attention will now turn to abortion
    But with a general election due in the next 11 months,
    it is unlikely lawmakers will modify either law in a hurry.


    mt/awa




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