For as long as we live and along with us, live the nations of the world, they’ll forever come to cherish certain dates for being truly special. Dates that will be looked up to for bringing a definitive meaning to a certain country or countries.
So how’s that? Take India, for example. 15th August, 1947 will be a date that will never be forgotten for time immemorial for being the date when the famous sub-continental country got independence from the British Raj. Similarly, November 9, 1989 will never be forgotten by the better part of Germany for being the date when the Berlin Wall finally (and well and truly) collapsed.
Likewise, Israel will, for times to come, cherish 14 May for it was back in 1948 on this very date where the Jewish homeland was duly constituted and the nation state of Israel formed.
But where contemporary life and times stand for Italy, then it must be said with all due regard and excitement, that the date April 27, 2022 shall never be forgotten. And do you know why? Any guesses or speculations?
Well, nevermind, here is what you need to know:
April 27, 2022 was no ordinary date in the contemporary firmament of Italy. More specifically speaking, it is a date that will always be treasured by mothers above anyone else in Italy.
And there’s a critical reason for this; April 27 was the date where mothers in the famous country with a long Mediterranean coastline got the right by the court of law to have their surnames considered for naming their children.
Now, one might ask what is this ruling all about and how does that impact women’s rights in Italy, if at all?
Thus far, i.e., prior to the landmark ruling by Italy, children were always supposed to naturally inherit their father’s surnames and that is what common practice dictated. Any child, therefore, born in Italy would automatically carry her or his father’s surname. The mother’s surname, in this case, would not carry any weight where naming the family name of the kid was concerned.
Now, all of that has changed on April 27, 2022 and once and for all!
The following key excerpts were taken from The Hindu publication that elaborated more on the ensuing matter:
The court emphasised that both parents should be involved in choosing their child’s surname, which “constitutes a fundamental element of personal identity”. From now on, “the child takes the surname of both parents in the order agreed by them, unless they decide jointly to attribute only the surname of one of the two”, it said in a press statement. In case of disagreement, a judge will decide.
Among those hailing the ruling were Alessandra Mussolini, the grand-daughter of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who gave her three children her last name only after a tortuous process. “To be able to pass on one’s surname… is an act of civilisation,” she told Il Messaggero newspaper.
And it doesn’t end at that, truth be known. That the Italian law labeled the existing norms and practices of naming children (which was purely after the father’s surname) as being ‘detrimental’ and ‘unlawful’ is the real icing on the cake, as one would call it.
Finally, women in Italy will be able to pass on their surname to their children- and what could be better than that?