Emma Bonino, one of Italy’s most influential liberal politicians and civil rights campaigners, has died at the age of 78 after a five-decade career that helped reshape the country’s laws on abortion, divorce and individual freedoms. Her death was announced on September 11 by her political movement, +Europa.
Bonino first became widely known in the 1970s when abortion was illegal in Italy. After having an abortion herself in 1974, she publicly surrendered to authorities the following year, turning her experience into an act of political protest. She later helped establish an organisation providing information and assistance to women seeking abortions. The campaign became part of the wider movement that led Italy to legalise abortion in 1978.
As a leading figure in Italy’s Radical Party, Bonino challenged the influence of the Catholic Church and the country’s conservative political establishment. The movement also campaigned for divorce rights, LGBTQ+ rights, drug-law reform, gender equality and the abolition of the death penalty. Its activism frequently involved hunger strikes, civil disobedience and referendum campaigns.
Her political career extended far beyond Italy’s domestic battles. Bonino served repeatedly in the Italian Parliament and held senior government positions, including foreign minister. She also served as a European commissioner from 1995 to 1999, where she was responsible for areas including humanitarian aid, consumer affairs and fisheries. Her humanitarian work took her to conflict zones including Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.
Bonino remained an outspoken advocate for European integration and international human rights throughout her later years. In 2017, she helped establish the +Europa party, which promoted closer European integration and liberal democratic values. Although her political movement struggled electorally, Bonino herself remained a respected and frequently consulted figure in Italian public life.
Her relationship with the Catholic establishment was particularly notable. Despite her long-standing support for abortion rights, Bonino developed a respectful relationship with Pope Francis, who visited her at home in 2024 after she experienced a serious health episode. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, despite their major political differences, also recognised Bonino’s importance to the country’s political history.
Bonino had also battled lung cancer, continuing her political work through periods of serious illness. She died after a recent hospitalisation in Rome. Her death closes the career of a politician whose influence stretched from Italy’s most contentious social reforms to European diplomacy and international humanitarian causes.
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