Croatians battle over conscientious objection and abortion
by Michael Cook | 31 Mar 2019 | 2 comments
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Supporters and opponents of abortion in Croatia are at loggerheads over conscientious objection. One wants patients’ right to abortion strengthened; the other wants the conscientious objection rights of doctors and midwives to be protected.
Health Minister Milan Kujundžić – who is also a gastroenterologist -- seems to have having a two-way bet by urging compliance with existing legislation without taking sides.
"Anything that is in contravention with ethical and moral principles deserves condemnation," Kujundžić said.
At the centre of the debate is a Dubrovnik woman who had an abortion procedure without anaesthesia because the anaesthetist refused to participate. Dr Kujundžić said that hospitals should call upon more compliant doctors when a colleague refuses on conscience grounds.
Croatia’s abortion legislation was inherited from its days under Communism. Dr Kujundžić says that new abortion legislation is being drafted. But abortion supporters complain conscientious objection is making abortion impossible; that the process is too slow; and that he is stonewalling.
For reasons which are also disputed, the number of abortions performed in Croatia have fallen steeply since 1993, after the country split from the Communist federation. An estimated 60% of gynaecologists refuse to do abortions. In 1993, there were about 25,000 abortions; in 2017, only one-tenth of that figure, 2,416. Abortion supporters say that the Catholic Church is exercising an unholy influence upon the issue.
Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge.
With hate crimes like the recent murders of 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a white nationalist, some bioethicists are asking whether bigotry is a disease. And, if so, whether it can be prevented (or cured) with the tools in the armoury of public health professionals. In an article below, public health experts suggest four ways that doctors can push back against hatred.
It's an interesting line of thought. Clearly some forms of bigotry and hatred lead to deadly crimes. But defining hatred is often deeply political. The members of the KKK and ISIS are clearly dangerous "haters". But how about foes of Muslim immigration or same-sex marriage? Are they "haters" or just political opponents? I must confess that I feel that the bioethics of hatred is off to a shaky start, conceptually. But I believe that it will become more prominent as time goes on. The Christchurch gunman let a genie out of the bottle.
It's an interesting line of thought. Clearly some forms of bigotry and hatred lead to deadly crimes. But defining hatred is often deeply political. The members of the KKK and ISIS are clearly dangerous "haters". But how about foes of Muslim immigration or same-sex marriage? Are they "haters" or just political opponents? I must confess that I feel that the bioethics of hatred is off to a shaky start, conceptually. But I believe that it will become more prominent as time goes on. The Christchurch gunman let a genie out of the bottle.
 Michael Cook Editor BioEdge |  |  |  |
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