A four-part abrogative referendum on fertility laws was held in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
on 12 June 2005.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An ex ...
& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1049 Voters were asked whether research and access to the research on
embryos should no longer be limited, whether embryos should no longer be legally recognised as people and whether
IVF treatment should no longer be limited to three embryos.
[Nohlen & Stöver, pp1063-1064][ The referendum was called after the Italian Radicals collected the 500,000 signatures required.][Poor turnout for Italy's fertility referendum]
BioNews, 13 June 2005 Although all four proposals were approved by wide margins, the voter turnout of 26% was well below the 50% threshold and the results were invalidated.[ Pope Benedict XVI had called for a boycott.Pope backs boycott of Italy's referendum on assisted fertility]
Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2005
Results
Scrapping limitations on clinical and experimental research on embryos
Scrapping limits on access to research on embryos
Scrapping the legal definition of embryos as people
Allowing IVF treatment with donated eggs or sperm
References
{{Italian elections
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
Fertility
Referendums in Italy
Fertility