Fri Mar 21 20:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Italy Allows Single People to Adopt Foreign Children
**Rome, March 22, 2025** – In a landmark decision, Italy’s Constitutional Court has overturned a 40-year-old ban on single people adopting foreign minors. The ruling, issued Friday, declared unconstitutional the 1983 law that restricted international adoptions to married couples.
The court argued that excluding single individuals undermines a child’s right to a stable family environment. The decision comes amidst concerns about a decline in international adoptions in Italy, attributed to increasing difficulties and costs associated with the process. Data from Italy’s international adoption commission shows a 5.6% drop in adoptions in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and a 14.3% decrease compared to the first half of 2022.
While Italy’s right-wing government opposed the change, the centre-left opposition celebrated the ruling as a “historic turning point.” Democratic Party lawmaker Alessandro Zan called for parliamentary action to adapt current legislation and extend adoption rights to same-sex couples. The ruling takes immediate effect.
First Piper 