Italian Radical Who Legalized Abortion Dies at 78, Fought Vatican for Decades

Emma Bonino, the Italian politician who fought the Vatican to legalize abortion and divorce, has died at 78. A militant feminist and human rights advocate, she served as Italy's foreign minister and as a European commissioner during a political career that spanned nearly five decades [239320][239170].

Bonino's political career began with an illegal act. In 1974, when abortion was banned in Italy, she traveled to an underground clinic in Florence to end an unplanned pregnancy. "Coming back by train at night, I decided that never, never, never again should anyone have to suffer this humiliation," she later said [238959].

A year later, she turned herself in to police. She wanted to force abortion out of secrecy. Her private "crime" became a public act of defiance [238959].

Her party, More Europe, announced her death on Facebook on Friday. "Today we lose not only our leader but also one of the most clear-sighted, courageous and free figures in the political history of our country," it said [239320].

Bonino died in Rome at the age of 78. She was hospitalized in serious condition last Sunday at Santo Spirito hospital in Rome, where she lived. She was moved to a private clinic on Thursday [238517].

Born in Bra on March 9, 1948, Bonino was one of Italy's most recognized politicians. She was known for leading battles throughout her long career, including the legalization of abortion and the end of nuclear energy [238517].

A leading figure in the Italian Radical Party since 1975—a liberal and reformist group—Bonino served as a deputy, senator, and four-time Member of the European Parliament. She was also European Commissioner for Consumer Policy, Fisheries, and Humanitarian Aid from 1995 to 1999 [238517].

In Italy, she served twice as a minister in social democratic governments: Minister for European Affairs and International Trade under Romano Prodi from 2006 to 2008, and Foreign Minister under Enrico Letta from 2013 to 2014 [238517].

In 2015, she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. She fought the disease publicly, often wearing a characteristic headscarf, until she announced on television in 2023 that she had overcome it. Last December, she was hospitalized again after suffering respiratory failure [238517].

Her battles and calls for justice earned her numerous honors, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the French Legion of Honor, and the 1998 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation [238517].

Her party described her as "always radically free," noting her life was "a long struggle against everything that denies freedoms: against clandestine abortion, against hunger in the world, against partitocracy, against female genital mutilation, against genocides, against any form of authoritarianism" [238517].