Living off-grid in Italy: parents lose custody
A British-Australian couple living in a secluded forest in the central Italian mountain region of Abruzzo without access to electricity, gas or running water has lost custody of their children. The eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old twins were taught by a private tutor. Italian commentators weigh in.
Who decides what's best for children?
Columnist Assia Neumann Dayan gives an overview of the state's role in La Stampa:
“Children belong neither to the state nor to their parents. ... The concept of responsibility should be decisive. It is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my child's well-being. If I fail to do so, the state has a duty to intervene. But who decides what's best for my child? ... Even too much love can lead to real difficulties. This applies equally to parents who put GPS trackers on their children and to those who are afraid of microplastics. ... If we were to take the children away from all those who do not share our worldview, the demographic winter would be compounded by a democratic winter.”
Balancing duties and freedoms
How much to do we have to conform to the social model of the community to which we belong, legal scholar Tommaso Greco asks in Avvenire:
“We know that some of the most pressing duties, such as compulsory military service (which some would unwisely like to reintroduce), include the possibility of conscientious objection. ... Does this option also extend to some of the duties that are relevant in this case? ... If it does, it would change the situation, and we would probably have to recognise the freedom of some citizens to pursue their life plans in a self-determined manner. As long, that is, as they preserve social interests and the well-being of the community. These are issues that arise time and again and should be taken seriously.”