CESI and Initiative of pro-choice doctors organized a public debate on 9th of May: “The abortion law for the 21st century” in order to emphasize that abortion should be legal, safe and accessible to all women. The Croatian Constitutional Court reaffirmed in March this year the constitutionality of access to abortion and ruled that by allowing women’s access to abortion on request within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, the law gives effect to women’s constitutional rights to privacy, liberty, and personality and complied with international human rights law and comparative European law. As the 1978 law predated the current Croatian Constitution, the Court requested that the Croatian Parliament adopts new legislation within two years. It is expected that the current Croatian Government, under the pressure of ultraconservative forces, will attempt to severely limit access to safe abortion through mandatory counseling and waiting periods and promotion of conscientious objection. The conclusions which emphasise that the Croatian authorities must not deviate from universal and regional human rights principles and standards that protect the sexual and reproductive rights of women were sent to decision makers with request to include the civil society and women’s groups recommendation into the new abortion law.

Source: CESI