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Many Italians Back In-Vitro Fertilization Changes
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Italy support amending their country's regulations for in-vitro fertilization, according to a poll by Ispo published in Corriere della Sera. 46 per cent of respondents say they will vote "Yes" on all or most of the provisions.
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.
Some high-profile Italian public servants have taken sides on the plebiscite. Foreign minister Gianfranco Fini of the centre-right National Alliance (AN) has said he will vote "Yes" on the first three provisions. Roberto Rosso of the governing Forwards Italy (Forza Italia) has openly advocated for abstention.
Polling Data
How do you plan to vote on the referendum on in-vitro fertilization?
Totally or mostly "Yes" | 46% |
Totally or mostly "No" | 21% |
Not sure | 33% |
Source: Ispo / Corriere della Sera
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,601 Italian adults, conducted on Apr. 27 and Apr. 28, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.