More than a million people have signed a petition calling for a referendum to abolish a new Italian law on assisted reproduction

More than a million people have signed a petition calling for a referendum to abolish a new Italian law on assisted reproduction which will make it harder for infertile couples to obtain treatment. "It's a historic triumph," said Daniele Capezzone, secretary of the Radical party, who delivered the signed petition forms to the court of cassation. "There had better not be any shenanigans now. We ask the parties [which voted for the law] to step back and not even think of doing the people out of this referendum." Italy has frequently held referendums on disputed laws but it is rare for so many people to sign the petition. Italian law gave the campaigners until yesterday to gather the 500,000 signatures required to force a referendum. If the court approves the list, without finding duplicate names or other discrepancies, the government will have to accept a referendum. The fertility law is seen by many as an attack on Italy's secular democracy by traditional Catholic-minded MPs. The law, which came into effect in April, aimed to fill a legislative vacuum and end Italy's reputation as the "wild west" of fertility treatment.