A “baby box” designed for abandoned newborns has sparked a controversy in Croatia, a predominantly Catholic country. Women’s rights groups are calling for its removal, labeling it an illegal “Trojan horse” for anti-abortion activists.
The “baby box,” a modern version of the medieval “foundling wheel,” was installed in February at a convent wall in a quiet neighborhood of Zagreb. The box includes motion sensors that trigger alarms on the mobile phones of the nuns inside the convent and a Catholic anti-abortion group when the hatch is opened. The security camera ensures that the person leaving the baby remains unseen.
Alberta Vrdoljak, the head of Betlehem Zagreb, the group behind the “Window of Life,” explained that the initiative aims to save lives and prevent infanticide. She pointed to a case last May when a newborn boy was abandoned in a park bin near Zagreb. The child survived after being discovered by two teenagers.
Although the baby box has not been used yet, Vrdoljak assured that police and medical services would be notified if it were. “Society needs such a place for rare but real situations,” said Zvonimir Kvesic, another member of the group.
However, Women’s Network Croatia, an umbrella group for women’s rights organizations, condemned the initiative. They called it “illegal, dangerous, and against the best interest of the child” and urged the removal of the box. Although abortion is legal in Croatia, it has become increasingly difficult to access as many gynecologists in public hospitals refuse to perform the procedure on moral grounds.
Some critics view the baby box as a tool for anti-abortion groups and warn that it operates in a legal grey area, leaving room for potential misuse. “It may sound like a good idea, but ultimately, it’s about making women feel guilty about abortion and offering an ‘alternative’,” said Mia Knezevic, a clerk from Zagreb.
Vrdoljak rejected these claims, insisting that the purpose of the box is to provide an alternative to infanticide, not to ban abortion. Betlehem Zagreb, which also runs a safe house for women and single mothers, emphasized its role in assisting the system.
However, official bodies have raised concerns about the legal implications of abandoning a child in the box. The Ministry of Social Policy has launched an investigation into the matter. Helenca Pirnat Dragicevic, Croatia’s children’s ombudswoman, reminded that abandoning a child is a criminal offense. She also highlighted the child’s right to know their identity, as guaranteed by a UN convention, and stressed the importance of addressing the causes behind child abandonment.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has warned against baby boxes and urged countries to find alternative solutions. Despite this, some legal experts support the initiative. Zagreb University law professor Aleksandra Korac Graovac argued that the right to life outweighs the right to know one’s biological origins. “A child without the right to life does not hold any other rights,” she said.
Countries including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland have similar baby boxes. The practice also exists in China, India, Japan, and the U.S.
Lea, a 33-year-old lawyer who declined to give her full name, said, “It’s a practice from the Middle Ages, but if it saves one life, it’s still worth it.”
In Croatia, official data shows there were six cases of infanticide in the last decade. Unlike some European countries, anonymous birth is not permitted in Croatia, although the Health Ministry launched a working group on the issue last year. In the Name of the Family, another Church-backed group, recently called for a law allowing anonymous birth and requiring hospitals to install “baby hatches.”
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