“We have to protect children, it’s not a flag issue” – Corriere.it

“Saying children is one thing, looking them in the eye is another.” Mario Conte, Northern League mayor of Treviso, agrees to talk about the “Padova case” on condition that ideological disputes are left aside and one concentrates on real life. Even at the cost of displeasing those in his own party who prefer to stick to principles. “We have to think about children, about their rights. This is not a matter that can be tackled by waving flags» explains the mayor who, last March, as Veneto president of the Anci, prepared a “instruction booklet” for mayors precisely to guide them in the face of the complexity of the theme.

Conte goes straight to the heart of the problem: “Beyond the choices in the sexual field, on which I do not intend to express myself, when we are in the presence of a child we have a duty to protect him”. Which does not mean, from his point of view, disobeying the law. «No, I have always been clear on this: the mayors must respect the rules. Anyone in a public role is not allowed to contravene the law. The jab is for the Paduan colleague Sergio Jordani but also for the Roman Robert Gualtieri who just last week transcribed two foreign birth certificates of children of two mothers. “You cannot wage political or ideological battles on the skin of citizens,” Conte remarks.

There is only one way to go, the one that leads to Parliament. «For some time, like many others, I have been hoping for a law to regulate this situation. I repeat, there is a precious asset here to protect: the child. Or rather, the rights of the child. It’s up to politics to take responsibility for passing legislation that takes into account all the aspects at stake, with an approach that I hope is as pragmatic as possible”. In order for everyone to understand the complexity of the matter, the mayor of Treviso uses a simple example: «Some practices (such as surrogacy) are not lawful in Italy, but in other countries they are. Since a child is born abroad, when he arrives in Italy can we not guarantee him the rights that everyone else has? ». It is a rhetorical question that goes beyond the position on how the unborn child came to be born. «I am against the surrogate uterus, I said it and I repeat it. Anyone who thinks that regulating the matter somehow means favoring homosexual couples is wrong (also because surrogacy is used by many heterosexual couples). Thought is only for the rights of the child. Priority must be given to those ».

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