Reproductive justice and inequalities: The cross-border journeys of Italian lesbian-parented families.

Léa Lomba

doi:10.15448/1984-7289.2025.1.47436

Authors

Léa Lomba University Paris Cité, Paris, France https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2144-3929

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7289.2025.1.47436

Keywords:

Lesbian parenthood, Cross-border ART, Ethnography, Childcare. Reproductive justice. Family law. Family. Gender equality.

Abstract

The article examines the practices implemented by Italian lesbian mother couples confronted with the ban on assisted reproductive technology (ART) in their country, a prohibition that compels them to undertake reproductive journeys abroad. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted between 2023 and 2024, the author analyzes the strategies—multiple and sometimes paradoxical—adopted by these couples to circumvent legal norms and obtain recognition of their parenthood. By resorting to practices such as the ROPA method or artificial insemination, these families challenge heteronormative and biogenetic frameworks of kinship, while at times reintegrating biological elements in order to strengthen their legitimacy. This study shows how these trajectories, situated at the intersection of legal, economic, and cultural constraints, progressively contribute to transforming kinship norms in Italy and interrogate the relationships between law, culture, and parenthood within the broader struggle for the recognition of lesbian families.

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Author Biography

Léa Lomba, University Paris Cité, Paris, France

Double Master’s in Applied Anthropology from the Université de Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium, and the Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Paris, France. Holder of a university diploma in Gender violence: violence Against women, also from Université Paris Cité.

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