Challenges of Religious Freedom in Health Care: Situation in the last EU Member State

Abstract

The Agreements on spiritual care in penitentiary, health and social centers, signed between the Croatian Government and the Episcopal Conference, only facilitate the exercise of the right of religious freedom guaranteed to patients. Healthcare operators, on the other hand, can only get recognized the right to conscientious objection - based on religious grounds - in the sectorial regulation of their respective professional specialties. Both the proliferation of "new rights" claims and the limiting regulation of conscientious objection to the exercise of these rights, make necessary the development of legislative processes in order to protect the religious freedom of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and related workers.