[1] Born in Breno, province of Brescia, he was a partisan during World War II, and initially joined the Italian Communist Party (PCI), leaving it in 1956, and crossing the floor to the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), after the anti-Soviet revolts in Hungary were suppressed by the Soviet Red Army.

His first ran in elections in 1963; two years later, he promoted, as first signer, the law on divorce, but he then decided not to submit it to the examination on Parliament.

In 1970, however, Fortuna decided to finally present his proposal of law, together with liberal colleague Antonio Baslini, gaining support from the PCI, the PSI, the PSDI, the PSIUP, the PRI and the PLI, but opposed by the Christian Democratic Party.

The Radical Party and the left-leaning Lega Italiana per il Divorzio (LID) supported the law outside Parliament.

[2] In 1974, The Christian Democrats tried to repeal it via a national referendum, but failed, with 59.3% of Italians favourable to maintain the law on divorce.