Croatia legalizes foster parenting for same-sex couples

The Croatian Constitutional Court announced on Friday that same-sex couples have the right to apply for foster parenting which they were not allowed to do under the current law.

With nine "yes" and four "no" votes, the court ruled that everyone under equal terms should be able to participate in "the public service of foster care."

After the parliament passed the new law on foster care in January 2019, several political parties, NGOs and individuals asked Croatia's Constitutional Court to assess whether some articles of the law are unconstitutional. They believed that the law is discriminating same-sex couples.

The Constitutional Court stated that exclusion of same-sex couples from foster care was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Therefore, the Constitutional Court said that all courts and other bodies are obligated to apply the law in a way that enables all persons to participate in foster parenting regardless of whether they live in a formal or informal life partnership.

Rainbow Families Croatia said on Friday that this is a historic ruling for same-sex couples who will finally have the right to be foster parents on the same terms as everyone else.

But conservative associations here are disappointed with the decision, arguing that it is harmful to children.

Croatia is predominantly a Catholic country with almost 90 percent of the population identifying themselves as Catholic.