Conceiving Life

Through analysis of sociological, philosophical and legal material, Patrick Hanafin examines reproductive law in Italy, and the reasons why such a repressive piece of legislation could be produced at the end of a period of substantial change in the dynamic of gender relations.

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This volume examines the evolution of reproductive law in Italy from the `far west' of the 1980s and 90s through to one of the most potentially restrictive systems in Europe. The book employs an array of sociological, philosophical and legal material in order to discover why such a repressive piece of legislation has been produced at the end of a period of substantial change in the dynamic of gender relations in Italy. The book also discusses Italian policy within the wider European policy framework.