A proposal to automatically give babies mother’s last name ignites a row in Italy.

Angela Giuffrida26 March 2025
An Italian politician has proposed a law that would make it automatic for babies to be assigned their mother’s last name at birth, a step that would mark a rupture with tradition and has sparked a fiery debate.

Children born in Italy are automatically registered with their father’s last name, unless the father is absent from the child’s life.