An attempt to abolish Italy's strict law on assisted fertility has failed. It's being seen as a victory for the Catholic Church, which campaigned for a boycott of the poll. The fertility law recognizes the legal rights of embryos, and some women's groups fear Italy's legislation on abortion is now under threat.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News.  I'm Renee Montagne.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: And I'm Steve Inskeep.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Italy will retain one of the world's most restrictive laws on assisted      fertility.  The country held a referendum on a plan to repeal the law,      but for that vote to be binding, at least half the electorate had to show      up.  They didn't, and that's considered a victory for the Catholic      Church, which had called for a boycott.  Here's NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.</s>SYLVIA POGGIOLI reporting: After two days of voting, only about one-quarter of eligible voters went      to the polls, far short of the 50 percent quorum.  The campaign was      bitter.  The Catholic Church is opposed to all forms of in vitro      fertilization, and Italian bishops, with the endorsement of Pope Benedict      XVI, openly campaigned in parishes and through the media, urging Italians      to abstain from voting.  The statute, introduced last year, restricts      fertility treatment to heterosexual married couples, and it prohibits the      screening of embryos for abnormalities. Voters were called on to lift a      ban on embryo research, remove limits on the number of eggs that can be      fertilized, lift the ban on egg and sperm donors and remove the article      that attributes human rights to fertilized eggs.</s>SYLVIA POGGIOLI reporting: Supporters of the referendum were stunned by the large number of those      who boycotted the poll, but Daniele Capezzone, leader of the radical      party, the main promoter of the referendum, does not believe the result      is a Vatican victory.</s>Mr. DANIELE CAPEZZONE (Referendum Promoter): (Through Translator) We      lost. We lost heavily, and the result must be analyzed carefully to      understand what happened in the heart of Italian society.  I fear that      what prevailed was indifference or mistrust in the possibility to change      things.</s>POGGIOLI: Many Italian analysts also attributed the result, in part, to      referendum fatigue.  There have been many referenda in the last few      years, but the last to reach the 50 percent quorum was 10 years ago.      Others say the fertility issue was too complicated.  The issue divided      the political world with several government and opposition leaders      abstaining.  Political analyst Sergio Romano acknowledges that in an      atmosphere of collective insecurity, the Catholic Church's message had      strong resonance.</s>Mr. SERGIO ROMANO (Political Analyst): There is no doubt that people are      disconcerted, uncertain.  They have anxieties and that sort of thing.      And it is possible that in such a psychological state, they turn to the      church and they're ready to listen to the church.</s>POGGIOLI: And in the last several weeks, the Italian Catholic Church has      been very vocal.  Leaflets saying `Life cannot be put to a vote' were      distributed in churches.  Pilgrimages were held to proclaim the sanctity      of life.  And from their pulpits on Sunday, when polls were open but      political parties were banned from electioneering, priests continued to      preach against the referendum.  Political analyst Sergio Romano says the      church has every right to speak out on ethical issues.</s>Mr. SERGIO ROMANO (Political Analyst): But when the church tells you exactly what kind of an      electoral strategy Italian citizens should adopt, this is interference,      in my opinion, and people who abstained, they just gave the church a      victory.</s>POGGIOLI: The Vatican has not made any official comment on the      referendum, but Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who spearheaded the boycott      campaign, tried to play down the result.  He said, `Victory is a mistaken      term.'</s>Cardinal CAMILLO RUINI: (Through Translator) I did not fight to win.  I      didn't win.  I tried only to do my duty as a bishop and listen to my      conscience as a man, Christian and citizen.</s>POGGIOLI: Ruini's reluctance to sound triumphant could be a sign that      church leaders are worried that the referendum outcome could have a      backlash and trigger a wave of anti-clerical sentiment in Italy.  This      country has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and according to      a recent survey, 62 percent of churchgoers do not follow the precepts of      the church.  But supporters of the referendum are worried that the      Catholic Church will now target Italy's abortion law, since it clashes      with the fertility statute's article recognizing embryos' legal rights.      Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.