(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 16 - Italy's main pro-life group on Saturday hailed the passing of a law making surrogacy a universal crime even when Italians use it to have children abroad.
    Currently many gay and infertile Italian couples have children who are the product of foreign-based surrogate mothers, in a world where the practice is regulate in 66 countries.
    Antonio Brandi, the president of Pro Vita & Famiglia Onlus, said: "The promulgation by President Mattarella of the law that makes surrogate motherhood a universal crime, punishable even if committed abroad by Italian citizens, crowns years of battles by Pro Vita & Famiglia and is a milestone on the path to the abolition of the international market of children, which according to estimates by Global Market Insights is worth 15 billion dollars today and which in 2032 could be worth 130 billion due to the increase in the rate of infertility.
    "While congratulating the parliamentary majority for this historic success, we now expect the Government to make this new principle the cornerstone of bilateral relations with States that tolerate this inhumane practice and to promote an international moratorium in the main fora, such as the UN and the European Union". (ANSA).