Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a pet project of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners.

Italy’s parliament approved a law Wednesday that makes it illegal to travel abroad to have a baby via surrogacy—which critics say is a way for Italy’s conservative government to target gay couples, while advocates say it protects the sanctity of motherhood.

Italian parliament passed a law making it illegal for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy. According to activists, the law is formulated to target same-sex partners and making it harder for LGBTQ to become legal parents.

Italy has made it illegal for couples to go abroad to have a baby through surrogacy. The move extends a ban on the practice inside the country to also include those who seek it out in places where it is legal, like the US or Canada. Those who break the law could face up to two years in prison and fines of up to €1m (£835,710).

Italians to use surrogate mothers abroad or work in foreign fertility clinics that facilitate such pregnancies

Italy has passed a law that bans couples from so-called surrogacy tourism, after far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni described the practice as “inhuman”. In April, Meloni, the leader of the populist Brothers of Italy party,