In Italy, for the first time, a court has recognized the legality of having three parents for one child

The Court of Appeal of the Italian city of Bari has issued a precedent-setting decision, obliging the state authorities to officially register an adoption, according to which the child has three legal parents: two «fathers» and one mother. This verdict, announced on May 12, 2026, became the first case of recognition of such a family structure in the legal practice of Italy.

According to LifeSiteNews, the case is based on the story of an adoption originally finalized in Germany. The four-year-old boy was born in December 2021 to a longtime girlfriend of a same-sex male couple living in Frankfurt. Although the child was initially registered to the biological parents, in late 2022, a court in Berlin allowed the father’s official partner to also adopt the child, cementing the child’s legal status as a parent.

When attempting to legalize this status on the territory of Italy, the authorities of the Puglia region responded with a refusal, arguing that they suspected «hidden surrogacy», which is prohibited by the laws of both countries. However, according to media reports, the appeals court in Bari rejected the officials’ arguments. The judges cited reports from German social services confirming that the birth mother voluntarily agreed to the procedure and maintains regular contact with the couple, with the child living in an «atmosphere of tranquility.»

The plaintiffs’ lawyer Pasca Manfredi emphasized that this judicial act provides legal protection for «new forms of co-parenting». According to the defense, this decision is primarily in the best interests of the child, ensuring that he or she has a stable legal bond with all the actual caretakers.