Emma Bonino, the veteran Italian politician and civil rights campaigner who played a major role in the battles that helped legalize abortion and divorce in Italy, has died at the age of 78.
Bonino’s death was announced Friday by +Europa, the pro-European political party she co-founded. She had been hospitalized in Rome earlier in the week after experiencing a serious respiratory crisis.
Born in 1948 in northern Italy, Bonino became involved in politics in the 1970s after experiencing an illegal abortion at a time when the procedure was prohibited in Italy. In 1975, she publicly acknowledged the abortion and surrendered to authorities, turning her personal experience into a political campaign for reproductive rights.
Her activism helped drive a broader movement that ultimately contributed to the legalization of abortion in Italy in 1978. She was also a prominent campaigner in the movement that led to the legalization of divorce, challenging the influence of Italy’s conservative political establishment and the Vatican.
Bonino went on to build a political career spanning more than five decades. She served in the Italian Parliament and European Parliament, became Italy’s foreign minister and held several other senior government positions. She also served as a European commissioner during the 1990s.
Beyond abortion and divorce, Bonino campaigned on a wide range of issues, including women’s rights, human rights, migration, the fight against female genital mutilation, opposition to the death penalty and the eradication of world hunger.
Her political career also extended beyond Italy. As a European commissioner, she was involved in humanitarian and international affairs, including work connected to major crises. She was known for taking strong and sometimes controversial positions on international issues.
Bonino remained an influential public voice even after her political party lost some of its electoral strength. She continued advocating for European integration and civil liberties through +Europa, which she helped establish in 2017.
Her political activism also brought her into contact with Pope Francis, despite their significant differences over abortion and other social issues. Francis visited Bonino at her home in 2024 following a health scare, reflecting the unusual respect she commanded across political and ideological lines.
Bonino had also battled lung cancer after being diagnosed in 2015 and later announced that she was in remission. In the days before her death, she was hospitalized in Rome with a serious respiratory condition before leaving intensive care and being transferred to a private facility.
Bonino’s death marks the end of a remarkable political career defined by civil disobedience, political courage and campaigns for individual freedoms. Her influence on Italy’s social and political landscape is expected to remain part of the country’s modern history.
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