Women's Network of Croatia


PRESS RELEASE

May 28th 2009


To whom it may concern,

we are addressing you in regards to the media writtings in regards to the Medically Assisted Conception Bill, that should enter the parliamentary proceedure soon.

We remind the public that the Medically Assisted Conception Bill entered parliamentary proceedure in 2005 and that it was whitdrawn from the proceedure without any explanation by the Government.

We express our concern by the fact that the new bill contains provisions that are discriminative towards women in regards to their marrital status. According to this bill, medically assisted conception as a treatment for infertility would be available only to married women.

Women's reproductive rights should be guaranteed to all women, regardless of their marrital status. Adoption of this bill denies the right to treatment of infertility to unmarried women and therefore restricts right of women to freely decide on the birth of children. The stand of the Government that arises from this bill is that it is neccesary to stop unmarried women from having children by legal restrictions. In that spirit also another bill can be proposed that would proscribe sterilisation of all unmarried fertile women.

Furthermore, medically assisted conception is not only a method for the treatment of infertillity. It is also used as an assistance to women without a partner to concieve a child.

We consider that the act that regulates reproductive rights of women should be first of all harmonised with the Gender Equality Act and international legal standards. The new Gender Equality Act was adopted in July 2003 with the aim of protection of women from discrimination in all spheres of life, including reproductive rights, especially considering their marrital status. Also, the Republic of Croatia is a signatory of numerous international documents that protect reproductive rights of women. One of the best examples is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Convention affirms women's right to reproductive choice. Article 12 of the Convention proscribes to States Parties to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those related to family planning. Countries that have ratified the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. At the end of this year the Republic of Croatia is committed to submit national report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

We demand from the Croatian Government to harmonise the above mentioned bill with the positive national and international legislation and to put into the parliamentary proceedure a bill that is not discriminative towards women in regards to their marrital status.

Best regards,

Bojana Genov,
Coordinator of Women's Network of Croatia

Sanja Juras,
Coordinator of Lesbian Group Kontra

Kristijan Grđan,
Coordinator of Iskorak