Medically Assisted Conception Bill in the Croatian Parliament
13/07/2009
Submitted by
Team for Legal Changes of Iskorak and Kontra
To whom it may concern,
we are addressing you in regards to the scandalous statement of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare mr. Darko Milinović during the presentation of the Medically Assisted Conception Bill in the Croatian Parliament.
Namely, mr Milinović, while presenting the discriminative Medically Assisted Conception Bill, stated that women in civil unions (heterosexual) couldn't enter the procedure of medically assisted conception. In so doing, he gave the example of one of his acquaintance. „ I told her, if that companion of yours isn't ready to say „I do“ before the registrar and to me more importantly, before the God, then he's not capable of taking care of children. “ said the Minister while presenting the Bill.
Such statement of the Minister of Health in the Croatian Parliament is a direct attack on the constitutional order and violates the constitutional principles of secularity and gender equality. The Government of the Republic of Croatia is obliged to protect the rights of all it's citizens regardless of the gender or religious conviction.
The gender equality forms one of the highest values of the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia and forms a basis for the interpretation of the Constitution. The Bill that restricts the reproductive rights of women on the basis of their marital status presents severe violation of human rights guaranteed by the articles 3 and 14, as well as the article 62 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia that guarantees and especially protects maternity.
If the Croatian Parliament adopts the Medically Assisted Conception Bill in form in which it has been proposed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Team for Legal Changes of Iskorak and Kontra and the Women's Network of Croatia are going to submit the proposal for the evaluation of constitutionality of the newly adopted Act to the Constitutional Court on the day of its entry into force.
Furthermore, we are going to inform all international institutions of this severe violation of human rights in the Republic of Croatia.
Best regards,
Sanja Juras,
Coordinator of Lesbian Group Kontra
Kristijan Grđan,
Coordinator of Iskorak
Bojana Genov,
Coordinator of Women's Network of Croatia
we are addressing you in regards to the scandalous statement of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare mr. Darko Milinović during the presentation of the Medically Assisted Conception Bill in the Croatian Parliament.
Namely, mr Milinović, while presenting the discriminative Medically Assisted Conception Bill, stated that women in civil unions (heterosexual) couldn't enter the procedure of medically assisted conception. In so doing, he gave the example of one of his acquaintance. „ I told her, if that companion of yours isn't ready to say „I do“ before the registrar and to me more importantly, before the God, then he's not capable of taking care of children. “ said the Minister while presenting the Bill.
Such statement of the Minister of Health in the Croatian Parliament is a direct attack on the constitutional order and violates the constitutional principles of secularity and gender equality. The Government of the Republic of Croatia is obliged to protect the rights of all it's citizens regardless of the gender or religious conviction.
The gender equality forms one of the highest values of the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia and forms a basis for the interpretation of the Constitution. The Bill that restricts the reproductive rights of women on the basis of their marital status presents severe violation of human rights guaranteed by the articles 3 and 14, as well as the article 62 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia that guarantees and especially protects maternity.
If the Croatian Parliament adopts the Medically Assisted Conception Bill in form in which it has been proposed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Team for Legal Changes of Iskorak and Kontra and the Women's Network of Croatia are going to submit the proposal for the evaluation of constitutionality of the newly adopted Act to the Constitutional Court on the day of its entry into force.
Furthermore, we are going to inform all international institutions of this severe violation of human rights in the Republic of Croatia.
Best regards,
Sanja Juras,
Coordinator of Lesbian Group Kontra
Kristijan Grđan,
Coordinator of Iskorak
Bojana Genov,
Coordinator of Women's Network of Croatia
