黑料社

ROME 鈥� Young women鈥檚 鈥渇irst aspiration鈥� should be to have children, a senator with the right-wing party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday, sparking outrage among opposition groups.

惭别濒辞苍颈鈥檚 Brothers of Italy party has made it a priority to reverse the country鈥檚 declining birth rate and promote the traditional family as it clamps down on same-sex parenting.

鈥淢y mother always used to tell me 鈥� you must always remember that you have the opportunity to do whatever you want, but you must never forget that your first aspiration must be to be a mother yourself,鈥� senator Lavinia Mennuni said.

Mennuni, who was speaking on a talk show on the La7 TV channel next to a Catholic archbishop, said Italian and Vatican institutions had to make maternity 鈥渃ool鈥� again and encourage young people to marry early and start families.

鈥淭here is a need, let鈥檚 say a mission, because I think it is a beautiful thing, (for women) to bring children into the world who will be the future citizens, the future Italians,鈥� said the 47-year-old lawmaker who has three children herself.

Senator Raffaella Paita, from the centrist Italia Viva party, said such comments showed 鈥渁n embarrassing backwardness鈥�.

鈥淗er words resonate with ideas from an obscurantist past, fortunately outdated,鈥� Paita said.

Chiara Appendino, a lawmaker with the left-leaning Five Star Movement, wrote on social media X that Brothers of Italy suffered from 鈥淢edieval nostalgia鈥� and said young women should be taught 鈥渢he freedom to dream and the means to accomplish themselves as they wish.鈥�

Last week, Mennuni sparked criticism for proposing a bill that would prevent school directors from halting Catholic-themed activities, such as the staging of Christmas plays or the making of nativity scenes.