Italian father no longer name-giver to child

Previously, children were automatically given the father's name. Still, according to the Constitutional Court in Rome, this is discriminatory and harmful to their identity. The Dutch Reformatorisch Dagblad reports this.

The judges also said that the old rules are contrary to the Italian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. If the parents agree, it is still possible to choose one surname. Parliament must now work out the details of the new law. According to Euronews, the issue has been hanging on during several parliamentary terms.

Different names from siblings

The case was started by a family with three children. Two of them were born before the parents were married and received the mother's name. But the last child was born within wedlock and therefore received the father's name, different from its siblings.