Italy's Constitutional Court allows singles to adopt foreign minors, ending a 40-year ban

ROME (AP) — Italy’s Constitutional Court ruled Friday that unmarried people can adopt foreign minors, ending a 40-year-ban on the practice and setting a precedent that could pave the way to allowing Italian singles to adopt from within the country.

Friday’s court ruling declared unconstitutional the exclusion of singles from international adoptions under a 1983 Italian law, which allowed only married couples to pursue international adoptions.

According to Italy’s top court, the exclusion of single people risked undermining "the effectiveness of the child’s right to grow up in a stable and harmonious family environment.”

The court decision also reflects concerns among adoption advocates over a downward trend in Italy’s international adoption over the past few years, due to increasing difficulties for couples in completing adoptions abroad and the high costs related to the lengthy process.

According to Italy’s international adoption commission, in the first semester of 2024 international adoption in the country fell by 5.6% from the same period a year before and by 14.3% from the first semester of 2022.

Italy's right-wing government headed by Premier Giorgia Meloni has opposed singles' adoptions in court, but the country's center-left opposition hailed Friday's ruling as a “historic turning point.”

“It puts the rights of minors and the freedom of self-determination of every individual first,” said Democratic Party’s lawmaker Alessandro Zan, who has promoted battles for the parenting rights of singles and gay couples.

“Now the Italian parliament must intervene, adapt the current legislation and remove every ideological obstacle,” Zan added. “And let’s go further: This right must also be extended to gay couples.”

The ruling takes effect immediately.

In October, the Meloni government approved new legislation that criminalizes Italian citizens who go abroad to have children through surrogac y, a measure slammed by opponents as “medieval” and discriminatory to same-sex couples.

FILE - Sculptures are seen atop the Constitutional Court building near the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome, on Saturday, April 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

WOODBRIDGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

ChemWerth, Inc., a global leader in generic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and supply, continues to expand its footprint and strengthen its position in the Indian market. To support its growth in the region, ChemWerth has hired Chandrakanth Reddy as general sales manager of its India office.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260111302280/en/

“The addition of a general sales manager in India signals our desire to grow our presence and customer base in the world’s most important generic pharmaceutical market,” said Pete Werth III, president, ChemWerth. “Chandrakanth will add tremendous value for our customers and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) in India.”

Reddy is a seasoned pharmaceutical professional with more than 16 years of experience spanning API sourcing, business development, market expansion and regulatory-driven commercial strategy. He has successfully led high-value markets across India, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the United States, building strong customer partnerships and supporting sustainable revenue growth.

In his new role, Reddy will be responsible for leading ChemWerth’s sales strategy in India and strengthening regional customer relationships. He will also support the company’s focused initiative to roll out new generic APIs in the market, including fermentation, peptide and oncology injectable APIs.

“After reviewing ChemWerth’s strategic plan to unveil a strong pipeline of new generic fermentation, peptide and oncology injectable APIs for the Indian market, I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Reddy.

About ChemWerth, Inc.:

Established in 1982, ChemWerth is a full-service generic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and supply company providing cGMP-quality APIs to regulated markets worldwide. ChemWerth is a global company headquartered in the United States, with offices in China and India. For more information, please visit www.chemwerth.com.

Chandrakanth Reddy has joined ChemWerth, Inc., as general sales manager of its India office.