Court: Women entitled to have costs for homebirths covered by health insurance

Women living in the Czech Republic who would like to give birth at home rather than in a hospital are entitled to a midwife covered by medical insurance, according to a landmark ruling by a Prague city court. The ruling was spoken in the case of a pregnant woman who asked the court to intervene after Prague’s Motol hospital had failed to provide her with assistance for her homebirth. While the plaintiff gave birth before the verdict was spoken, the ruling judge decided in favor of the woman, stating that giving birth at home was a right that had to be protected by the state. The ruling calls on the Ministry of Health to introduce a new set of regulations that will facilitate homebirths, which have been labeled dangerous by the ministry as well as gynecologists’ associations. However, ministry officials have said they are not planning to change the legislation.

In January, a group of expectant mothers and midwives announced they would sue the Czech Republic at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg over home births on grounds that they are not covered by medical insurance and midwives face administrative obstacles which effectively prevent them from doing their jobs.

Author: Sarah Borufka