Hungarian mother Anna Ternovszky, pregnant with her second child in 2010, took her country to the European Court of Human Rights because she was compromised in her choice to give birth at home. Hungarian law was ambiguous concerning home birth, and her midwife Dr. Ágnes Geréb was facing legal proceedings for supporting out-of-hospital births.
Agnes Gereb in Hungarian Court
Anna Ternovszky won the case against the state of Hungary. According to the powerful holding of the Court, the legal authority and meaningful choice in childbirth is a human rights issue. The unprecedented Ternovszky judgement situates birthing women as the ultimate decision-makers regarding the circumstances in which they bring forth their babies.
Here you can find Anna Ternovszky’s speech at the Human Rights in Childbirth Conference, 2012.
Here you can find more information on the cases against Dr. Geréb.