ZAGREB, 18 May 2022 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin said on Wednesday that the left-wing opposition groups in parliament had agreed that it was necessary to launch an initiative to amend the constitution to include the right to abortion.

"We from the seven groups that represent the progressive opposition in parliament have agreed today that it is necessary to amend the constitution to enable women to have the right to choose when it comes to abortion," said Grbin, adding that they do not want current developments in the USA concerning abortion happen in Croatia.

In early May, foreign media outlets reported that the US Supreme Court might overturn the nationwide legal right to abortion, according to a leaked draft of a court document.

Grbin told a press conference today that representatives of the left-wing opposition parties would in the coming days discuss and agree on how to amend the constitution. He said that one option was to collect the signatures of a fifth of MPs in the 151-seat legislature for a motion to amend the constitution while the other was to start collecting signatures for a referendum petition.

Grbin said the opposition was discussing whether to request a hearing of Health Minister Vili Beroš in parliament, adding that he did not rule out that the opposition would table a motion of no confidence in the minister.

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ZAGREB, 18 May 2022 - The Croatian Health Insurance Agency (HZZO) will cover the cost of pregnancy termination for Mirela Čavajda in a hospital in Ljubljana.

The HZZO said this in a statement issued after earlier in the day the Jutarnji List daily reported that Čavajda would most probably not have the cost of her pregnancy termination abroad covered by the HZZO.

Čavajda is a woman six months into her pregnancy who who could not have her pregnancy terminated in Croatia despite the fetus's serious malformations.

Jutarnji List says is has learned from unofficial sources that Croatian doctors, even though they refuse to perform the procedure guaranteed by law, are also unwilling to put their refusal down in writing, and that hospitals have sent the HZZO notifications saying that Čavajda has been offered the necessary medical procedure - induced labour.

"Since she does not want that procedure but insists on pregnancy termination, the HZZO considers this to be a refusal of the medical service offered in Croatia, which makes it questionable if there are legal grounds for the HZZO to cover the cost of the medical service she will seek in Slovenia", the daily says.

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ZAGREB, 15 May 2022 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday visited an international sausage festival taking place in Sveti Petar u Šumi, describing it as an important event bringing together domestic enterprises and reflecting the synergy between the state, local government and the producers.

Devised as an event promoting the making and sale of traditional Croatian charcuterie products, the festival at Sveti Petar u Šumi sets an example of how to use the opportunities provided by EU membership and is proof that local government can be a successful partner to private businesses, said Jandroković.

"Istria is well known for its olive oil, wine and the restaurant and tourism industry, and the sausage festival is a new brand for the region which in many ways leads the way and sets an example, not only to other Croatian regions but to regions in other parts of Europe," Jandroković said.

On Milanović, abortion law

Answering reporters' questions, he declined to comment on President Zoran Milanović's proposal to make Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO conditional on the reform of Bosnia and Herzegovina's election law, saying that he found the sausage festival more important "than anything Milanović has to say on any topic."

Asked if the Constitution should be amended to state that the right to abortion is a constitutional right, which is a proposal to be put forward by opposition parties, Jandroković said that it was a topic causing deep divisions in Croatian society.

We don't need topics that cause divisions 

"Considering the current situation, the deep global crisis, the Russian aggression on Ukraine and serious announcements of a global recession, we do not need topics that cause divisions in society, we need to work on mutual respect, tolerance and diversity," said Jandroković.

He went on to say that one should put an end to discussions about the topic because "there is a law which is in line with the Constitution, and which, when compared to the laws of other EU countries, is somewhere in the middle, neither too liberal nor too restrictive."

It is not wise to try to score political points on this topic, which is what some political parties are doing, he added.

Commenting on announcements that Slovenia would make Croatia's entry to the Schengen area of passport-free travel conditional on the implementation of the border arbitration ruling, Jandroković said Croatia and Slovenia were so much oriented towards one another that neither country would benefit from any disputes.

"... I hope we will continue in the spirit of good neighbourly relations, taking care of our common interests. The present times are difficult, one needs to have friends, allies and partners instead of opening topics that divide us," he said.

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ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - Seven centre-left opposition parliamentary groups on Wednesday supported the Social Democratic Party's medical pregnancy termination bill, saying it is a woman's right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy and that the state must make that service available.

"A woman has the right to reproductive health, quality and available healthcare, information and self-determination, and public healthcare must provide her with everything the law guarantees", Sabina Glasovac of the SDP said, presenting the bill.

"It is a woman's right to plan a family, choose if, when and with whom to start a family or give birth as well as whether she will terminate a pregnancy", she added.

The state must ensure legal, safe and quality medical pregnancy termination per request, and a woman should be provided with all the necessary, accurate and scientifically-based information, according to the bill.

It says that all authorised public hospitals must ensure, without delay, questioning or obstruction, pregnancy termination at a woman's request until the end of the 12th week of gestation, and in specific legal situations after that.

The costs of pregnancy termination should be covered by the state and hospitals must ensure a sufficient number of doctors who do not refuse to perform the procedure, or be fined up to HRK 500,000.

Ivana Posavec Krivec of the Social Democrats called on the government and the ruling majority to endorse the bill and prevent the further erosion of women's rights.

The 1978 abortion law which is in force is the minimum civilisational achievement which should be amended due to developments in science, medicine and WHO guidelines, she added.

Urša Raukar Gamulin of the Green-Left Bloc said it was necessary to respect the law, the Constitution and the Constitutional Court, which decided in 2017 that a new abortion law must be passed in two years' time.

"We will fight for abortion in Croatia to be safe, legal, available, free and painless. We acknowledge conscientious objection, but every hospital's management has the duty to ensure abortion regardless of conscientious objection", she added.

"We don't advocate abortion but a woman's right to decide about her body and respect the law", said Krešo Beljak of the Croatian Peasant Party, adding that doctors who invoke conscientious objection are hypocrites because they don't invoke it in private hospitals.

"We live in a secular state and will fight with every political means for Croatia not to fall into the hands of ultra-conservatives, quasi-believers and liars who, for personal gain, are trying to return Croatia to the Middle Ages", said Beljak.

Anka Mrak Taritaš of GLAS said this was a civilisational, not a world-view issue because deciding on abortion is the exclusive right of a woman and her family.

Dalija Orešković of the Centre party said it was unacceptable that any authorities would refuse to execute a Constitutional Court decision. It's a negation of the state and the rule of law, it's the (ruling) HDZ's violence against institutions, she added.

We know the HDZ won't support this bill, so our primary battle is not to allow the HDZ to negate the rights that exist in the law. No woman in Croatia must ever again feel humiliated and shamed when deciding on her legal rights, which don't exist in practice because Croatia is run by parallel interest groups, including the Church, said Orešković.

Katarina Nemet of the Istrian Democratic Party said they would support the bill as acquired human and civil rights, notably women's right to choose, should be viewed as a civilisational minimum.

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ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - In a comment on the case of Mirela Čavajda, the Croatian Medical Law Association says that the institution of conscientious objection is being maligned and imposed as the only obstacle to solving the problem, underlining the need for responsible conduct by all stakeholders.

Čavajda is a 39-year-old who has requested a pregnancy termination because the fetus has been diagnosed with massive brain cancer six months into her pregnancy. She recently told the Index web portal that all hospitals in Zagreb she contacted had refused to do a termination of pregnancy despite the fact that doctors told her that the tumour was so big the child most likely would not live long, and even if it did, it would never have a normal life.

Her complaint against the hospitals' decision is to be discussed by a second-instance commission at the KBC Zagreb Hospital, whose expert commission, formed last week at the request of Health Minister Vili Beroš, was of the view that the child has a chance to live and that neurosurgical treatment is possible if the delivery goes well.

The Croatian Medical Law Association says that the right to conscientious objection applies also to doctors, as determined by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1763 of 2010, which says that no legal or physical person shall be coerced, held liable or discriminated against in any manner because of a refusal to perform, accommodate, assist or submit to an abortion, the performance of a human miscarriage, or euthanasia or any act which could cause the death of a human foetus or embryo, for any reason.

The association says the importance of conscientious objection as a criterion for assessing the quality of a legal system is evidenced by International Conscientious Objection Day, observed on 15 May.

It considers as problematic attempts to devalue the institution of conscientious objection through social dilemmas surrounding abortion and similar topics that cause polarisation and calls for a joint approach by different scientific disciplines and professions as well as interest groups, in discussing it.

"Any public political, social or other moralising without clear medical and legal arguments is not acceptable and can only cause deep value, moral and ethical divisions in the already fairly polarised Croatian society", the association's president, Miran Cvitković, says.

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ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - The Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) said on Wednesday the right to conscientious objection was guaranteed by international and national legal documents and regulations, rejecting unsubstantiated attacks on that medical institute and opposing its abolishment.

The HLK expressed regret and sympathy for the difficult situation Mirela Čavajda and her family have found themselves in, but noted that it did not consider the case to be about conscientious objection.

Čavajda is a 39-year-old who has requested a pregnancy termination because the fetus has been diagnosed with massive brain cancer six months into her pregnancy. She recently told the Index web portal that all hospitals in Zagreb she contacted had refused to do a termination of pregnancy despite the fact that doctors told her that the tumour was so big the child most likely would not live long, and even if it did, it would never have a normal life.

Her complaint against the hospitals' decision is to be discussed by a second-instance commission at the KBC Zagreb Hospital, whose expert commission, formed last week at the request of Health Minister Vili Beroš, was of the view that the child has a chance to live and that neurosurgical treatment is possible if the delivery goes well.

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding on all members, guarantees every individual the right to conscientious objection, in line with national legislation, the HLK said, recalling that that right is also guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In Croatian legislation, the right to freedom of conscience is regulated by the Constitution, while the right to conscientious objection for physicians is regulated by the Medical Profession Act and the Code of Medical Ethics, the HLK says, describing as unacceptable recent blanket criticisms of gynecologists in the media and public.

It expressed concern over Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević's statement that it was unacceptable that all medical staff at Sveti Duh Hospital (founded by the city of Zagreb) are conscientious objectors, with HLK president Krešimir Luetić claiming Tomašević was exerting pressure on doctors.

The HLK stresses that the right to conscientious objection was often depicted  in public as an obstacle to exercising the legal right to abortion.

According to HLK's data, the service of pregnancy termination is available on request in 28 medical institutions in Croatia.

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ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that justice and morality in the case of Mirela Čavajda were on her side and as a general rule, the state was the one that should ensure assistance for women so that the situation in which all gynaecologists refused to perform abortions would not occur.

Čavajda is a 39-year-old who has requested a pregnancy termination because the fetus has been diagnosed with massive brain cancer six months into her pregnancy. She recently told the Index web portal that all the hospitals in Zagreb she contacted had refused to do a termination of pregnancy despite the fact that doctors had told her that the tumour was so big the child most likely would not live long, and even if it did, it would never have a normal life.

Her complaint against the hospitals' decision is to be discussed by a second-instance commission at the KBC Zagreb Hospital, whose expert commission, formed last week at the request of Health Minister Vili Beroš, was of the view that the child has a chance to live and that neurosurgical treatment is possible if the delivery goes well.

Speaking to reporters after attending the opening of the 15th Job Fair in Zagreb, Milanović warned, in the context of the Čavajda case, that most gynaecologists in hospitals in Zagreb refuse to perform abortions, noting that "the state should step in."

"In the past five years the state should have stepped in to say - all right, certain procedures will be ensured, under certain conditions, and women meeting those conditions will have access to those procedures and a certain kind of protection. When we say that women should have the right to choose - that is indeed so, but the law has always set certain limits. We are talking about a woman's choice up to a certain week of pregnancy, after which things get more complicated. That is the case in the entire world," he said.

"In my opinion, justice and morality are on the side of this lady," he said, warning about the problem of manipulation of conscientious objection.

"There are certain procedures, but they are evidently manipulated. That is why I am saying that in the case of (Zagreb's) Sveti Duh Hospital, where there are no gynaecologists (willing to perform abortions) - some of them I know personally and for some I know for sure that they are not conscientious objectors but are opportunists - the state, the ministry should step in and make sure assistance is provided to women," he said, stressing that he was not talking about a specific case but in general.

"It cannot happen that tomorrow we do not have a single gynaecologist in public hospitals in Zagreb that is not a conscientious objector," he said.

Noting that the older he was, the more delicate the topic of abortion was for him, Milanović said that what he did know for sure was that nobody can be a victim of the system just because no gynaecologist in public hospitals is willing to perform abortions while the state fails to do anything in that regard.

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ZAGREB, 8 May 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Sunday it was unacceptable that all doctors and nurses at the Gynaecology Department of the Sveti Duh Hospital were conscientious objectors and that he expected the hospital's new management to deal with this.

"It is unacceptable to me that absolutely all the doctors and nurses in Gynaecology have conscientious objection and I expect this to be dealt with," Tomašević told reporters ahead of a ceremony marking the Day of Victory over Fascism and the Day of Liberation of Zagreb.

Asked if he agreed with the claim that in the circumstances of collective conscientious objection pregnancy terminations were carried out in private institutions, the mayor said that this problem could be dealt with in different ways.

"But I also want that all legally permitted pregnancy terminations can be performed in Zagreb's largest city-owned healthcare institution and that is Sveti Duh," Tomašević said.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - It should be possible for every woman in Croatia to terminate pregnancy even after ten weeks if there are medical reasons for that, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday after the media reported on the case of a 39-year-old woman whose second child in the womb has an aggressive brain tumour.

The ministry called on all health institutions to timely and accurately inform their patients of their rights and possibilities that exist in Croatia.

Mirela Čavajda, whose second child got an aggressive brain tumour in the womb, told the Index web portal, which was the first to publish her story, that all hospitals in Zagreb she contacted had refused to do a termination of pregnancy despite the fact that doctors told her that the tumour was so big the child most likely would not live long, and even if it did, it would never have a normal life.

The doctors she talked to convinced her they would be happy to help her, but they said it was illegal in Croatia to do an abortion after week ten, Index wrote.

The parent tried to seek help in all Zagreb hospitals that could do a termination of pregnancy -- Sveti Duh, Merkur, Vinogradska, and last Friday they sent a request to hospitals to establish a committee which should by law approve a termination of pregnancy, but they still have not received a response.

Čavajda added that she therefore launched a procedure in Slovenia, where she was told after an examination that the diagnosis was very bad, that there was nothing disputable about her case and that the decision was up to the parents, announcing that an ethics committee would make a decision on the request next Tuesday.

In a reaction to that case, the Croatian Ministry of Health said that a termination of pregnancy was possible after week ten with an approval of the committee and with the consent, that is, at the request of the pregnant woman, in cases where there are medical indications, or when the conception occurred as a result of rape, intercourse with an incapacitated person, intercourse by abuse of position, intercourse with a child or incest.

In order to ensure the woman's right, the Ministry of Health has enabled the establishment of a second-instance committee at the KBC Zagreb Hospital, in case the first-instance committee denies her request, it was said.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.