CAUSE TO KNOW
HUNGARIAN DR. AGNES GEREB TO GO TO JAIL FOR HELPING WITH HOME BIRTHS Women’s Rights Petition: Please Grant Full Clemency to Dr./Midwife Agnes Gereb | Change.org) Why This Is Important Hungary has legalized home birth, yet midwives who attended home births before legalization have been harshly imprisoned. On February 10th, 2012, the Budapest Appeal Court announced the verdict in the case of Dr. Ágnes Geréb (an OB/Gyn as well as a midwife) and four other Hungarian midwives. The terms of Ágnes Geréb’s sentence of two-year imprisonment were tightened, a ban on practicing doubled to ten years. We believe the sentence to be surprisingly and unnecessarily severe. We also happily received the news that Parliamentary representatives of your party wrote open letters to request the full presidential pardon for Dr. Geréb. We would like to join them in asking for full clemency in the case of Ágnes Geréb and to cancel the verdict against the other midwife convicted with her. Dr. Ágnes Geréb is an internationally renowned obstetrician-midwife who was the first in Hungary to let fathers into the labor ward, allowing families to experience the miracle of birth together. She assisted several thousand normal births without complications, and facilitated the beginning of numerous happy lives. We are convinced that her work and experience prove indispensable for the establishment of safe and good midwifery practice in Hungary. We appreciate the efforts of the present Hungarian government to bring about homebirth legislation. The criminal proceedings against Dr. Geréb and other midwives started before the implementation of the new regulations and are having an extremely chilling effect on the establishment of normal midwifery care in Hungary. Please exercise your right to provide or advocate for full presidential clemency for Dr. Ágnes Geréb and cancel all criminal proceedings against her.


HUNGARIAN DR. AGNES GEREB TO GO TO JAIL FOR HELPING WITH HOME BIRTHS

Women’s Rights Petition: Please Grant Full Clemency to Dr./Midwife Agnes Gereb | Change.org)

Why This Is Important

Hungary has legalized home birth, yet midwives who attended home births before legalization have been harshly imprisoned. On February 10th, 2012, the Budapest Appeal Court announced the verdict in the case of Dr. Ágnes Geréb (an OB/Gyn as well as a midwife) and four other Hungarian midwives. The terms of Ágnes Geréb’s sentence of two-year imprisonment were tightened, a ban on practicing doubled to ten years.

We believe the sentence to be surprisingly and unnecessarily severe. We also happily received the news that Parliamentary representatives of your party wrote open letters to request the full presidential pardon for Dr. Geréb. We would like to join them in asking for full clemency in the case of Ágnes Geréb and to cancel the verdict against the other midwife convicted with her.

Dr. Ágnes Geréb is an internationally renowned obstetrician-midwife who was the first in Hungary to let fathers into the labor ward, allowing families to experience the miracle of birth together. She assisted several thousand normal births without complications, and facilitated the beginning of numerous happy lives. We are convinced that her work and experience prove indispensable for the establishment of safe and good midwifery practice in Hungary.

We appreciate the efforts of the present Hungarian government to bring about homebirth legislation. The criminal proceedings against Dr. Geréb and other midwives started before the implementation of the new regulations and are having an extremely chilling effect on the establishment of normal midwifery care in Hungary.

Please exercise your right to provide or advocate for full presidential clemency for Dr. Ágnes Geréb and cancel all criminal proceedings against her.

→  0 notes  ♥  03 Apr 12 at 12am