Expectant mums, midwives to sue Czech state in Strasbourg

Czech law unfairly denies coverage for homebirths, insurers don’t reimburse cost of hiring midwives, say women filing suit at ECtHR

Politics & Policy|Society

Brian Kenety | 11.01.2012

VIP

In most EU countries, legislation makes it easier – and less expensive – to give birth at home or with the assistance of a midwife; the right to respect private life is guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, which encompasses the right to choose the circumstances of giving birth, Czech lawyers will argue in Strasbourg

The number of Czech women giving birth at home has more than doubled over the past five years but remains relatively low, in part because midwives face administrative obstacles to becoming certified for their jobs and experience criteria “deliberately set so that only a hospital can fulfill them,” according to a lawyer representing women filing a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg.

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