Director of Rijeka Clinical Centre Engages in Anti-Women Campaign

27 June 2006

Last week, the �Novi List� daily published and interview with Herman Haller, Director of Clinical Centre Rijeka. In the interview that discussed the introduction of a vaccine for cancer of the uterus, Dr. Haller said that the official introduction of this vaccine should be discussed at many levels, including a discussion with the (Catholic) Church.

The vaccine, according to Haller, would give greater sexual freedom to women, even opportunity to become promiscuous, since they would be free from worries presented by the possible infection with the virus that causes uteral cancer. Gordana Lukac Koritnik, the Gender Equality Ombudsperson, reacted strongly.

According to Koritnik, this view �marks� the women as the promiscuous sex and that it would be better not to protect them with a vaccine, since the lack of fear of disease might start with them the unwanted sexual behaviour. This position is discriminatory and humiliating for all women.

Croatia, reminds Koritnik, signed numerous international treaties which obligated the country both legally and politically to �promote and secure the right to highest physical and mental health standards for women. Also, Croatia is �obligated to promote an stimulate programmes, with the support by the media, designed to help the prevention, early detection and treatment of breast, uterus cancer and other forms of malign conditions of woman�s reproductive system�.

�Haller�s statements are exactly opposed to the gender equality obligations and policies that Croatia accepted and, from that point of view, we can clearly say that this is another attempt at anti-women propaganda�, says Lukac Koritnik.

�We have had judicial decisions which state that women contribute to sexual violence in several rape cases, we have witnessed statements and practice that treats victims of domestic abuse and violence as masochists and bad mothers, and now a life-saving vaccine is marked as possible approval of female promiscuity�, states the Ombudswoman�s public release.