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Many Italians Unaware of In-Vitro Fertilization Rules
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Italy require more information before casting a ballot to define their country's regulations for in-vitro fertilization, according to a poll by Ipsos. 48 per cent of respondents say they know little or nothing at all about the upcoming referendum.
In February 2004, the Italian Parliament approved a series of procedures to limit the activity of in-vitro fertilization clinics. The Italian Radical party (RI) collected 500,000 signatures to force a referendum to overturn the law.
In January, the country's Constitutional Court opted to hold a public vote on four key provisions: banning scientific research on human embryos, limiting the number of embryos that can be implanted in the womb to three, affirming that the rights of the embryo are equivalent to the rights of any other person, and forbidding the donation of sperm or eggs from someone other than the couple that is undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatment.
The referendum has been scheduled for Jun. 12 and Jun. 13, and requires a turnout of at least 50 per cent to become legal.
The "Yes" side is headlined by 1986 Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini, who defined the embryo as "a collection of a small number of cells, without the neural tube that makes human life possible." Cardinal Camillo Ruini has suggested abstention as a strategy for Catholic voters.
Polling Data
In June, a referendum on in-vitro fertilization will take place in Italy. How much would you say you know about the referendum?
A lot | 3% |
Enough | 22% |
A little | 24% |
Nothing at all | 24% |
Source: Ipsos
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,000 Italian adults, conducted on May 12, 2005. No margin of error was provided.