Dalida Rittossa on the Right to Abortion in Croatia

Dalida Rittossa (University of Rijeka, Croatia) has published Taking the Right to Abortion in Croatia Seriously - One of the Basic Constitutional Rights or a Rudiment of the Right to Reproduction?, 13 Cardozo J. L. & Gender 273 (2007). Here is the abstract:

Abortion is one of the subjects that have been discussed extensively in both academic and popular literature. Nevertheless, such discussions do not consider abortion as a constitutional, legal issue. Consequently, the public opinion on abortion in Croatia expresses. irreconcilable, contradictory judgments. Croatians accept the right on abortion and at the same time consider it to be killing, a deprivation of life. It is reasonable, therefore, to try to present the outcome of abortion dilemma emerged in the Republic of Croatia by comparative legal analysis.  Comparing the experiences of the highest judicial bodies in the Federal Republic of Germany and USA, the author of the article tries to present the abortion issue as a battle of compelling state interests, rights of a mother and rights of the unborn. The outcome of such analysis confirms the right of abortion as one of the basic rights originated in right to privacy, right to self-determination and even freedom of religion. The special attention has been given to CEDAW Convention. To grasp a current and truthful public standing on abortion issue, the article presents research results on students' attitudes towards the abortion. The results have been compared with results obtained in two previous public opinion researches on abortion in Croatia.

The author can be reached at mailto:dalida@pravri.hr.