Italian parents who have made the often difficult and expensive decision to have children through surrogacy abroad have been thrown into a state of fear after a sudden shift in the country’s already strict restrictions on bringing those children up in Italy.

Italy passed a law on Wednesday that criminalizes seeking surrogacy abroad, a move the country’s conservative government said would protect women’s dignity, while critics see it as yet another crackdown by the government on L.G.B.T. families, as the law will make it virtually impossible for gay fathers to have children.

The West’s most restrictive law against international surrogacy threatens would-be parents who use birth mothers abroad with jail time and severe fines.

Italy's new law criminalises seeking surrogacy abroad, with penalties including jail time and hefty fines. Critics argue it unfairly targets same-sex parents and lacks clarity in implementation.View o

Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a pet project of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners.

The bill, which passed 84 to 58 with no abstentions, was hotly debated in the Senate hall before being put to vote.