Zagreb - The foster care bill that has caused disputes in the ruling coalition was voted in on Friday, with 72 members of parliament voting in favour, four against and six abstaining.
MPs of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), a partner in the ruling coalition, who made their support for the bill conditional on the adoption of an amendment giving same-sex couples the right to provide foster care, abstained from the vote.
Independent MPs Tomislav Saucha and Mario Habek abstained as well.
The Opposition did not take part in the vote in a show of protest against the way the ruling majority functions.
MPs Dragana Jeckov and Boris Milosevic of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) voted against the bill, as did Italian minority and independent MP Furio Radin, and Mirando Mrsic of the Democrats party.
Before the vote, HNS MP Stjepan Curaj asked for a break and called on MPs who had walked out of the session to return and support the HNS amendment.
"The amendment is legal, it is in line with the Constitution and it will enable what is most important - a child's right to a home," said Curaj.
After the break, a vote on the amendment was taken but it did not receive the necessary support, and Davor Bernardic of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) warned that if supported in its present form, the foster care bill would be discriminatory. He called on HNS MPs not to help the ruling majority maintain the quorum and to leave the parliament hall, thus showing at least some integrity.
"There are more than 1,100 children in children's homes waiting for foster care and by not allowing same-sex partners who wish to provide foster care to do so, you will prevent those children from feeling the warmth of a family home," said Bernardic.
Marija Jelkovac of the ruling HDZ party said that the law primarily protected the interests of children, without restricting the rights of same-sex couples, and warned against additionally traumatising children.
"Children are traumatised by domestic abusers and school bullies, not by ordinary people," SDP MP Domagoj Hajdukovic responded.
Furio Radin said on behalf of the parliamentary group representing ethnic minorities that the group would file a constitutional complaint against the law because it violated the human rights of one group of people.
The foster care law introduces foster parenting as an occupation as well as allowances for foster carers who provide care for seriously ill children.
The government expects that these legislative changes will increase the interest in foster parenting.
The law will continue to enable traditional foster care and kinship care and it envisages an increase in allowances for all foster carers.
The new foster care law is expected to ensure deinstitutionalisation of children and adults and improve the quality of care in foster families, regardless of the category of beneficiaries.
It is also expected to lead to an increase in the number of foster families and make foster care more evenly distributed across the country.
Budget funds for the implementation of the law have been increased in relation to the previous period, to HRK 228.5 million. As much money has been ensured for 2019 and 2020.