Croatia Plans To Ban Artificial Insemination

Ministry of Health announced a new law at a closed meeting, which would disable 200,000 Croats to have a child.

According to Minister Neven Ljubicic, the meeting was held in September 2006, and it was decided that the “Italian model” of the medically aided insemination should be reached.

Namely, according to this model, all in vitro methods would be banned, as well as donating or freezing of reproductive cells.

However, Minister Ljubicic did not allow the biometric committee to communicate with the media on this topic, while the Committee secretary Tihomira Ivanda did not wish to comment the closed meeting conclusions.

-The information are not for the public- Ivanda briefly answered.

200,000 couples in Croatia cannot have children

Although the number of infertile couples rapidly increases, none of the institutions with the programme of aided insemination have available doses of semen for a donation.

Also, while there are 200,000 couples in Croatian who cannot have children, the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance pays only for 1,400 yearly.

This is terrible information for a country that implements a population policy. It is unbelievable that a medical field is kept under such conspiratory conditions as if it were UDBA (State Security Administration)- said attorney of the Roda association (Parents In Action), Karmen Rivoseki.

Women go abroad for children?

Hrvoje Vrcic, chief of the Embryology laboratory in Petrova hospital claims that he has been waiting on a meeting with the minister for about 15 days, and there is no reply, the Slobodna Dalmacija daily writes.

-The Minister has to see me so I know if I will continue with my work normally or will I tell to women to move abroad in order to have children- said Vrcic.