News & Announcement – Midwifery in Hungary and Human Rights Violations against Ágnes Geréb

10 January 2011

The Canadian Association of Midwives has written a letter to the Hungarian Minister of Health to express our sincere concerns about the current state of midwifery in Hungary and Human Rights violations against Dr. Ágnes Geréb.

Update: Dr. Ágnes Geréb was released from prison on December 21st, 2010 and will be detained under house arrest until her trial. The Hungarian government has also recently stated that current legislation is a "permanent threat" to health professionals in Hungary. Recently, a Hungarian woman who was unable to have her birth as she wanted challenged Hungarian legislation (Ternovszky v Hungary).

The Court stated that a woman’s right to choose home birth is protected under Article 8 of the European Convention, which protects the right to private and family life. In addition, the Court stated:

‘[T]he matter of health professionals assisting home births is surrounded by legal uncertainty prone to arbitrariness. Prospective mothers cannot therefore be considered as freely benefiting from such assistance, since a permanent threat is being posed to health professionals inclined to assist home births by virtue of Government Decree no. 218/1999 as well as the absence of specific, comprehensive legislation on the matter. The lack of legal certainty and the threat to health professionals has limited the choices of the applicant considering home delivery. For the Court, this situation is incompatible with the notion of “foreseeability” and hence with that of “lawfulness”.’

The FreeAgnesGereb.org campaign continues to fight for the charges against Dr.Geréb to be dropped. The Canadian Association of Midwives and our International colleagues recommend that the Hungarian Government introduce midwifery legislation permitting planned out-of-hospital births with trained midwives who are integrated members of the health care system, with access to emergency services thus prioritizing patient safety and responding to the needs of childbearing women.

For more information and to see how you can help, please visit the official website. >> http://www.freeagnesgereb.org

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The Canadian Association of Midwives has written a letter to the Hungarian Minister of Health to  express our sincere concerns about the current state of midwifery in Hungary and Human Rights violations against Dr. Ágnes Geréb. 

The CAM letter was copied to a number of Hungarian officials and to the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.

For more information on the imprisonment of Dr. Ágnes Geréb, please visit http://freegereb.org/english.

Please take the time to read, sign and circulate the petition prepared by Free Agnes Gereb UK. You can sign the petition online on the following site: http://www.freeagnesgereb.com/petition/.

Please click here to view and download the letter of support. (.pdf) 

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Dr. Miklos Szocska, Ministry of Health
Social and Family Affairs

Budapest 1051

Arany Janos Utca 6-8

Hungary

December 1, 2010 

RE: Midwifery in Hungary and Human Rights Violations against Ágnes Geréb

Dear Minister Miklos Szocska,

As the national organization representing midwives in Canada, the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) promotes the inclusion of midwifery as a funded and self-regulating health profession in all provinces and territories. I am writing to you on behalf of CAM to express our sincere concerns about the current state of midwifery in your country and Human Rights violations against Ágnes Geréb.

We understand that currently out-of-hospital birth is illegal in Hungary contravening European Union (EU) legislation; however attended home births are supported in much of Europe as a safe alternative to hospital birth.

Not permitting homebirths is a basic Human Rights concern in itself and making out-of-hospital birth illegal pushes childbearing women and their care providers underground creating an unsafe environment. Recent studies and evidence have demonstrated that giving birth at home with a registered midwife can be as safe as a hospital birth for the mother and her baby.

Regardless of existing laws and no matter how severe the repercussions might be, homebirths will continue in Hungary and around the world; your government’s most recent actions against Ágnes Geréb will not stop women from giving birth at home. On behalf of CAM I strongly recommend that your government introduce midwifery legislation and develop professional standards and guidelines for midwives which would ensure every woman is attended by a trained and regulated health professional (midwife) while respecting the woman’s right to choose where she would like to give birth, in hospital and out-of-hospital settings. Furthermore, CAM does not agree with the severe conditions under which Ágnes Geréb is held in prison and we urge you to release her immediately.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the Canadian Model of Midwifery Care where informed decision making and choice of birthplace are fundamental components of the model and are well supported by the most current evidence and scientific recommendations. 

Midwifery is a rapidly growing health profession in Canada, with 1000 midwives currently working in diverse urban, rural and remote settings. The quality, cost-effectiveness and important benefits of midwifery care are well documented, and regulation is now in place or coming into effect in the majority of Canadian provinces and territories.

While midwifery legislation and regulations are specific to each province and territory, the midwifery model of care is essentially the same across the country. Fundamental to the Canadian model is woman and family centred care that meets individual needs, promotes the healthy, normal process of pregnancy and birth, and values the profound meaning of the childbearing experience in women’s lives. Other central principles of this model include: 

• Continuity of care: Midwifery care is provided on a continuum throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-partum period, enabling clients to build a relationship of mutual understanding and trust with their midwife or midwives. Practices are organized so that a midwife known to the woman is available to attend the birth. 
• Informed choice: The woman is encouraged to make informed choices about her own care. Midwives support the woman as the primary decision-maker and contribute their knowledge and evidence-based recommendations in a non-authoritarian manner. Midwifery visits allow adequate time for open, interactive discussion and education. 
• Choice of birthplace: Midwives respect the woman’s right to choose where she would like to give birth and are prepared to provide intrapartum care in hospital and out-of-hospital settings, in accordance with professional standards and guidelines.

On behalf of CAM, I strongly recommend that the Hungarian Government introduce midwifery legislation permitting planned out-of-hospital with a trained midwife who is an integrated member of the health care system with access to emergency services thus prioritizing patient safety and responding to the needs of childbearing women.  We look forward to hearing about further developments in midwifery in Hungary and we will follow Ágnes Geréb’s case closely. Should you wish to contact me directly, my personal email address is included below. Thank you.

Sincerely, 

Gisela Becker

President

Canadian Association of Midwives

Email: president@canadianmidwives.org

Cc: Prime Minister of Hungary: Viktor Orban, 1054 Budapest, Hungary, Szechenyi rakpart 19 fidesz@fidesz.hu

Cc: State Prosecutor's Office Dr. Tamás Kovács, State Prosecutor 1372 Budapest, Pf. 438.  lu@mku.hu

Cc: Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi  kozkapcsolat@kum.hu

Cc: Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics, 1357 Budapest Pf.2  lakossag@kim.gov.hu

Cc: Office of Parliament, Committee on Human Rights, Minorities, Civil and Religious Matters. 1358 Budapest, Széchenyi rkp. 19.  emb@parlament.hu

Cc: Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér, 1903 Budapest Pf.314  ugyfelszolgalat@bm.gov.hu Budapest Courts 1363 Bp. Pf. 16 Fax: +361-354-6066

Cc: Hungarian National Press Service 1016 Budapest, Naphegy tér 8.mti@mti.hu

Cc: Amnesty International UK, International Secretariat Fax: +44-20-79561157

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