Although abortion is legal in Croatia, it is not always easy to have one.
Municipal State Attorney’s Office in Vukovar confirmed today that it had ordered the police to conduct an investigation following the news about prayer vigils being held in front of the Vukovar General Hospital. Investigators want to determine whether any crimes have been committed in this case, announced the State Attorney’s Office, reports Index.hr on October 6, 2016.
Two days ago, the Vukovar branch of the “40 Days for Life” prayer community published on its Facebook page a rather disturbing post which directly endangered the right to choose of a woman who has decided to have an abortion. “We have received information about the arrival of a pregnant woman from a nearby village to have an abortion at the Vukovar Hospital. We ask everybody to join us in large numbers tomorrow in front of the hospital so that we can greet her like a princess and show her how valuable she is and that we are willing to do anything to help her choose life”, wrote the group on Facebook.
Prayer vigils have recently become commonplace in front of hospitals which conduct abortions. In this particular case, not only have the organizers called on activists to gather in front of a hospital, but they also demonstrated that they had received confidential patient information from inside the hospital, since they know who and when is scheduled to have an abortion.
Many people have commented on the issue and expressed their horror, saying that the post practically represented a call for lynching of a woman who wants to exercise her legal right. “Are you mad… To deny rights to this woman… Only she knows why it must be done, and I guarantee you that it is not easy. I will come to your home and tell everyone there how to live, work, eat… Shame on you”, said one comment. “If you did something like this to me, I would sue each and every one of you for psychological abuse”, wrote another Facebook user. “Where did you get this information? This is something which deserves an indictment”, said another comment.
Similar event took place recently inside a courtyard of the hospital at Vinogradska Street in Zagreb, where a group of activists set up a table and signs with different versions of the message “Prayers against Abortions”.
Also, Vanja Gulam, the coordinator of the “40 Days for Life” initiative in Šibenik-Knin County, recently said that “abortion should be prohibited even to girls who have been raped”. These actions can be seen as part of wider conservative currents which have recently been getting stronger in Croatia.
