On civil rights, the party programs are at opposite poles
On civil rights
In addition to the debate on the right of citizenship, the parties running for the political elections at the end of September have a wide spectrum of civil rights to look at: from the fight against homotransphobia to civil unions, up to the issue of adoptions for same-sex couples. . The dropping of the bill proposed by the democrat Alessandro Zan in the last government, on the subject of hate crimes and discrimination, is felt in all left-wing parties, which are also proposing a revision. When not directly opposed, the proposal is instead almost absent in the programmatic documents of the center-right coalition. Often combined with civil rights are also political proposals on disability, an issue that is already little discussed in itself. The Ministry for Disability, in fact, led by the Northern League Erika Stefani, was established by the outgoing Draghi government but has little political and, in general, public importance.Party programs:
Italia viva-Action Popular union Possible Democratic Party 5 Star Movement Lega Italexit Center-right coalition Forza Italia Brothers of Italy + Europe Green Europe-Italian Left The Zan ddl , explained article by article Italia viva-Action Law against homotransphobia, prevention and contrast to hate speech and the establishment of an independent national authority for the protection of human rights are central points of the program of Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda on the subject, which does not differ too much from the center-left political forces.
As far as disability is concerned, Italia Viva and Action put on the plate a fairly substantial proposal of measures for the inclusion of people with disabilities. Starting from more general requests for the elimination of architectural (and cultural) barriers and for interventions in favor of the housing issue, the parties then focus on initiatives aimed at promoting the independent life of people with disabilities and the recognition of the figure of the "caregiver" (he or she who assist and care for the disabled person). In addition, the adoption of a state allowance is envisaged to add to the already existing accompanying allowance for people with disabilities. In the workplace, the most concrete proposal is the inclusion of the figure of the disability manager, which facilitates the relationship between employer and worker with disabilities. At the same time, the acquisition of specific skills by the persons appointed to place people with disabilities is considered important. In general, the two parties envisage the need to protect people with disabilities in a homogeneous way throughout the national territory, going beyond the differences in access that exist in regional welfare.
On the issue of the Family Act, a reform of family policies approved by the outgoing government, Italia Viva and Action propose a full implementation by providing for access to reimbursement of educational expenses and for children with disabilities, as well as treatment. A reference is also made to greater access to sport by the disabled.
Popular union The party of Luigi De Magistris also insists on the extension of the law against racism and hate crimes, proposing to incorporate the it also includes violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability. Secondly, ample space is given both to the approval of the law on the end of life and legal euthanasia, and to the need for legislation for marriages and civil unions that introduces the recognition of the birth of sons and daughters of same-parent couples.
Possible Equality, the real one "is the chapter of the program that the party reserves for some issues to be put in place to support civil rights: the proposal here too is a" law of equality "against discrimination, with both criminal and social and cultural significance. Then creation of an action protocol for law enforcement against hate crimes, aimed at countering possible cases of secondary victimization of LGBTQ + people who have turned to the authorities to report.
A concrete proposal is the establishment of a national anti-discrimination agency, with investigative and sanctioning powers to counter forms of hatred, intolerance, racism. The party is also committed to calling for a law banning reparative therapies, a pseudoscientific practice aimed at changing the sexual orientation of a homosexual person by "bringing him back" to a situation of induced heterosexuality. This type of practices are not considered illegal in Italy because the first bill that intended to emphasize the issue, presented by the former senator of the Democratic Party Sergio Lo Giudice, fell in 2016 after a similar path to the one that saw the sinking. of the Zan bill. On the topic of Possible, he also addresses the need to make hormonal therapies more accessible for the transition process, and a bill on gender affirmation. Finally, it adheres to the requests that practically the entire center-left proposes: egalitarian marriage, extension to adoptions to individuals and couples without discrimination based on sexual orientation and / or gender identity.
Regarding disability, Possible is calling for the abolition of the Ministry of Disability, not to be considered as "a planet apart". As also foreseen by Unione Popolare and Italia Viva - Action, Possible also speaks in a generic way of removing architectural barriers (economic and social). The average allowance between 600 and 1,000 euros per month for people with disabilities, on the other hand, gives more substance to the proposal. The electoral program also refers to the role of technology, a possible tool to be adopted to promote the inclusion of disabled people in daily activities and related to the world of work.
A point that distances the Possible program from most of the political forces in the field is that of sexual and emotional assistance to people with disabilities, a taboo subject for our society and which very often is not given adequate importance. The introduction of legislation that provides for a professional figure in this sense is definitely a step forward.
Democratic party Letta's programmatic proposal is divided into three pillars, among which there is the item "rights and citizenship ". Here, too, reference is made to the recognition of the rights of LGBTQ + people, the need for a law on the end of life, the approval of the law against homolesbobitransphobia (as proposed in the last legislature in the Zan bill) and the introduction of egalitarian marriage. The party then undertakes to approve a law on co-parenting, which provides for equality of maternity and paternity leave.
On disability, the Democratic Party proposes an economic investment aimed at increasing tenured support teachers. Also in this case, a precise expense coverage is not specified on practical intentions such as these. An improvement is also foreseen, without further specifications, of the single and universal allowance for dependent children, in particular for people with disabilities and their families.
Movimento 5 Stelle As already seen for the previous parties, also the pentastellato movement is in favor of egalitarian marriage and the establishment of a law against homotransphobia. As in Possibile's program, the Cinquestelle program also includes the proposal to introduce sexual and emotional education in schools, a point on which our country is still too lacking. With regard to disability, like all the other topics dealt with in a synthetic way, the focus is on the increase of invalidity pensions, on the enhancement of the independent life of disabled people and on the introduction of the caregiver figure.
Una second person in Italy will have access to assisted suicide The Marche Health Agency has given the green light to the drug and method of administration for "Antonio", a quadriplegic patient since 2014, after a legal and bureaucratic path of almost two years Lega A confirmation of the positions expressed by Matteo Salvini's party up to now, even in the electoral program the family is identified as such if it is "made up of mum and dad and not a parent 1 and 2". The contrast to the introduction of regulations such as the former Zan law, which the center-right parties had ditched in the last legislature, goes hand in hand.
On the issue of disability, the Northern League program speaks of commitment to autonomous life and proposes similar interventions to those of other parties: implementation of the delegation law on disability, increase in the fund for people with disabilities left alone, inclusion in work , recognition of the caring role of the caregiver. Another aspect underlined in the electoral program is the promotion of spending protocols for the care of people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. In stark contrast to Possible's intentions, the League promotes the Ministry for Disability and aims to strengthen it politically.
Italexit One of the two parties in which the word civil rights is not included in the programmatic document. Therefore, there is no reference to the issues debated by other political forces, except for a not too specific mention of disability. On the subject, the Paragone party proposes a "form of sustenance that takes into account every single situation" provided by the state also to parents who have children with disabilities.
Center-right coalition The program summarizes the proposals that can also be found in the Forza Italia and Fratelli d'Italia programs, without any particular additions.
Forza Italia Even for Silvio Berlusconi, civil rights are not an integral part of the race for political elections. Greater benefits for families with disabled children are provided for in the Isee reform proposal, for which, however, there is no further explanation. The party defines itself as "on the side of the disabled to banish segregation, fight abandonment" but does not provide concrete solutions in this sense, if not sketched out intentions in terms of work, facilitating smart working, and in the school sector, aiming for greater school inclusion.
Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni speaks of "contrasting any discrimination in relation to people's sexual and sentimental choices" and maintaining the law on civil unions in force, but on the other hand she is in clear opposition to adoptions by same-sex couples. Present, albeit only mentioned, is the need to create listening desks for students with disabilities within schools; the enhancement of the right to study of those with specific learning disabilities; the introduction of incentives that promote the hiring of people with disabilities and, in line with other parties, the removal of architectural barriers and the promotion of the caregiver.
+ Europe Emma Bonino's party also speaks of the introduction of egalitarian marriage and a commitment to promoting adoption even for same-sex couples. The fight against crimes and hate speech returns also in this program through the implementation of an unspecified national lgbtq + strategy; as well as the firm opposition to reparative therapy treatments towards intersex children (that is, those who possess both internal and external characteristics that do not coincide with the traditional binary differentiation). Emma Bonino's party also proposes the establishment of an independent national human rights commission, which assists victims of rights violations and ensures the monitoring of national regulations in this field.
An entire paragraph is then dedicated to disability, starting with the elimination of architectural barriers and the introduction of the figure of the disability manager. + Europa also proposes an "assistant to emotionality, affectivity and sexuality for people with disabilities".
Green Europe-Italian Left In addition to the proposal for a law against homolesbobitransphobia, the legalization of egalitarian marriages and access to adoptions (by single people or same-sex couples), the two parties are calling for the creation of a law against reparative therapies.
This program also envisages the implementation of the delegated law on disability and the law called "After Us", regarding assistance to people with disabilities left alone after the death of their parents or caregiver. It should be emphasized that also for these two parties it is important to safeguard the right to sexuality for people with disabilities of all kinds.
