A total of 88 deputies of the ruling coalition, the Croatian Labour Party, the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) and national minorities voted in favour of the law, while 45 deputies of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party and the regional HDSSB party voted against. Two deputies abstained.

The HDZ criticised the government for not wanting to hear out apostolic nuncio Alessandro D'Errico who arrived in Croatia recently to convey Pope Benedict XVI's opinion about the Law on Medically Assisted Insemination.

The law makes methods of medically assisted reproduction available to married and unmarried couples and working-age women who are not married and do not have a partner, whose previous infertility treatment has been unsuccessful.

Under the law, the preferred method of medically assisted reproduction is homologous fertilisation (using one's own germ cells), while heterologous fertilisation (using a donor's germ cells) is used when it is not possible to use the patient's own germ cells or for the sake of preventing serious hereditary diseases in the child.

The egg cell donor is a woman whose egg cells are used with her consent in the artificial fertilisation of another woman, as well as a woman taking part in a procedure of medically assisted reproduction where surplus egg cells have been produced. The sperm donor is a man whose semen is used with his consent for the artificial fertilisation of a woman other than the woman who is his wife or common-law partner.

Embryo donors are married couples or partners living in common-law marriage who have decided not to use their own embryo and given permission to donate it.

Germ cells, tissues and embryos may be stored (frozen) in centres for medically assisted reproduction, with the consent of the persons from whom they have been taken, for a period of up to five years, which can be prolonged by five more years at the request of those persons.

The legislation provides for the fertilisation of 12 egg cells. Two embryos may be returned to the woman's uterus. In cases when the woman is older than 38 and has not become pregnant with the help of any method of artificial fertilisation, all egg cells may be fertilised and three embryos may be returned to the woman's uterus. The other embryos are frozen.

Upon turning 18, a person conceived and born with the help of artificial fertilisation has the right to learn all information about their biological origin, including information on the donor's identity.