Anger over new Croatian IVF law
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Doctors diagnose a new Croatian IVF law as being bad for the health of childless couples.
Lawmakers in Zagreb have voted for controversial legislation which restricts IVF treatment to married couples and those who can prove that they have been together for at least three years. Opposition parties and public organizations are protesting against the law, claiming it is discriminatory.
One of the strictest laws in Europe, it also prohibits the freezing of embryos, which could affect the effectiveness of the treatment. Donors of eggs and sperm are no longer anonymous and will have to reveal personal information, which can be accessed by the child when it turns eighteen.
Croatian doctors warn that the new measure will temporarily stop IVF treatment in the country altogether, as the strict rules are unclear and potential fines for breaking them are high.
The legislation has troubled President Stjepan Mesic who, claiming it treats citizens unequally, has referred it to the Constitutional Court. "It is absurd that a single person can adopt a child, while if you apply for IVF treatment you need to prove how long you have been in a relationship," he told Croatian Radio.
An estimated 200,000 childless couples will have to wait till next April for the Constitutional Court ruling.
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