The evolution of moral-juridical position of same-sex partnerships in the Republic of Croatia

Posljednjih dvadeset godina hrvatsko je društvo prošlo kroz duboku preobrazbu od tradicionalnoga katoličkog društva do sekularnog društva, kakvog ga priznaju moderne europske države na početku XXI. stoljeća. Poput čitavoga društva, tako su i tradicionalni brak i obitelj u opasnosti da budu preoblikovani na način koji ne priznaje tradicionalno društvo i Katolička crkva. U ovom se članku razlaže perspektiva dvaju tradicionalnih instituta obiteljskoga prava – roditeljska skrb i posvojenje u kontekstu Zakona o životnom partnerstvu osoba istoga spola. Osim navedenoga, u članku se analiziraju uočene pravne praznine u hrvatskom obiteljskom pravnom sustavu, dok se s druge strane promišlja o izazovima katoličkog morala i etike u susretu s institutima braka i obitelji, kao i o posljedicama mogućeg odbacivanja tradicionalnog poimanja braka i obitelji te mogućeg proširenja pravnog okvira instituta roditeljske skrbi i posvojenja.In last twenty years, Croatian society went through deep transformation from the traditional Catholic society to the secular society as these are understood in modern European countries at the beginning of the 21st century. As well as whole society, the definition of traditional marriage and family is in jeopardy to be transformed in the way it is not recognized by traditional society and the Catholic Church. This article discusses the perspective of two traditional institutes of family law – parental care and adoption, in the context of the Bill on Life Partnership between Same-Sex Persons. It analyses detected legal gaps in the Croatian family law system, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it reflects on Catholic moral and ethical challenges related to institutions of marriage and family, as well as on consequences of possible rejection of traditional concepts of marriage and family and possible expanding of the legal frame of institutes of parental care and adoption