How YOU can help Agnes Gereb

by Admin on October 26, 2023

Dr. Agnes Gereb, Hungary’s most prominent home birth midwife, also an obstetrician of 17 years, was imprisoned on October 5th, 2010 for providing assistance to a woman who showed up to her birth center in the advanced stages of labor. Dr. Gereb was teaching a childbirth course at the time to a number of couples at her birth center. She had previously declined attending this woman’s birth because she had pregnancy complications that made her birth a high risk category. So Dr. Gereb advised the pregnant woman that home birth for her would be too risky, but agreed to perform the pregnant woman’s prenatal care. On October 5th, this pregnant woman appeared at Dr. Gereb’s birth center in advanced stages of labor, and her baby was born very quickly. Unfortunately, the child’s respiration collapsed shortly after birth. Dr. Gereb and her team immediately called an ambulance and continued their resuscitation measures for the baby. Shortly after the ambulance, the police also arrived, and took Dr. Gereb into custody for reckless endangerment and for causing death in the line of work.

Dr. Gereb has been under preliminary arrest since October 5th. She is confined to her cell. She is denied fresh air exercise, access to the library, visitors, and even pain medications. When she is taken to court, she has to wear not only handcuffs but foot shackles as well. Dr. Gereb is a frail woman of nearly 60, with nearly 3500 births under her belt. Her infant mortality rate is less than 1 in 1000, which is better than Hungarian hospitals.

Home birth in Hungary is not illegal. A woman has the right to choose her place of birth, but since the government has failed to create the regulations governing home birth, anybody who assists a woman in a home birth may be prosecuted.

Here is how YOU can help Dr. Gereb:

1. Send an email to Hungarian authorities!

Copy the following text into an email, sign your name under it

****

I OBJECT to Dr. Gereb’s arrest and the manner of her imprisonment. Criminalizing home birth midwifery because of the government’s FAILURE to provide regulations is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Dr. Gereb’s imprisonment is UNLAWFUL, and the manner of her imprisonment is a HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION. I demand that Dr. Gereb be set free immediately, that all home birth midwifery cases in Hungary be decriminalized and moved into the realm of civil (malpractice) suits, and that international and/or Hungarian experts with experience in home births be invited into the process of crafting home birth regulations in Hungary.

TILTAKOZOM Dr.Geréb letartóztatása ellen, és a fogvatartásának körülményei ellen. ELFOGADHATATLAN az otthonszülésben segítő bábák munkájának kriminalizálása azért, mert az állam ELMULASZTOTTA a szabályzás megteremtését. Dr. Geréb bebörtönzése JOGTALAN, és a fogvatartásának körülményei EMBERI JOGAIT SÉRTI. Követelem, hogy Dr. Gerébet azonnal engedjék szabadon, hogy az összes magyarországi otthonszülésben részt vevő bába elleni pert vonják ki a büntetőjog alól, és helyezzék át a polgári jog hatáskörébe, és továbbá hogy olyan nemzetközi és/vagy magyar szakembereket vonjanak be az új szabályozás elkészítésébe, akiknek van tapasztalatuk az intézményen kívüli szülésben.

(signature)

****

and email it to any or all of the following people:

Dr. György Vókó, head prosecutor in Dr. Gereb’s case
voko.gyorgy@mku.hu

Office of the Prime Minister
1357 Budapest Pf. 2
lakossag@meh.gov.hu

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

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

Miklós Réthelyi, Minister
Ministry of National Resources (incl. Health)
1054 Budapest, Akadémia u. 3.
info@nefmi.gov.hu

László Kövér
FIDESZ President (leading political party)
1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 18.
fidesz@fidesz.hu

Sándor Pintér, Minister of the Interior
1903 Budapest Pf.: 314
ugyfelszolgalat@bm.gov.hu

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


2. Sign the petition for Free Birth Choices in Hungary here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/szul2010/petition.html


3. Contribute your time, energy, expertise, or services.

If you want to become more involved in Dr. Gereb’s case, please contact Donal Kerry  at free@birth.hu

4. Donate

Visit www.freegereb.org to see how you can donate towards Dr. Gereb’s legal expenses.

5. Send Dr. Gereb a postcard in jail.

Fovarosi Buntetes Vegrehajtasi Intezet
1055 Budapest
Nagy Ignac u. 5-11.
Hungary

I’m sure she would appreciate some words of support.

 

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Home Birth in Hungary Update 2012

Hungarian Home Birth Midwife Ágnes Geréb Receives 2 Years in Prison

{ 8 comments }

Patti Greenstein October 27, 2023 at 10:18 am

God Bless you through this terrible ordeal!

Claudia October 27, 2023 at 11:45 pm

I have been eagerly looking for a way to help. Thank you SO MUCH for all of this. Maybe put a link on the FB page supporting her? That way the global supporters see it more easily? I’m happy to do it for you - let me know.
-Claudia

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Podpora-pro-Agnes-Gereb-Support-for-Agnes-Gereb/139577179421729?ref=ts

admin October 28, 2023 at 6:20 am

Hi Claudia,

Please go ahead and post the information wherever you think it’s appropriate! There are actually at least 3 facebook groups for her. But anywhere online you think people would find the information useful, please go ahead and post! Thanks! - Réka

merav tal-or October 31, 2023 at 10:51 pm

You are a greate woman, and do a very greate and important thing.
Good luck !!!
And may the government and the people understand.

Merav
Israel

Write About Birth November 4, 2023 at 9:03 am

Sending my support from neighboring Serbia! I assume that the maternity care system is much the same in Hungary as it is over here, and the choice to have a homebirth is a short leap, even for people who would usually feel more comfortable in a hospital. It’s insane to criminalize this woman for offering maternity services with a bit of humanity.

joe December 20, 2023 at 5:10 pm

This arrest of Dr Agnes Gereb is like something out of The Middle Ages.

Eileen Colley April 19, 2023 at 8:59 am

MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AT THIS

My thoughts are with you at what must a most difficult time. Surely the law cannot be so blinded, when so many women and colleagues have shown thier belief abd support in you.
I hope that someone will see sense and that very soon you will be released to carry on your vital lifes work

XKempf October 8, 2023 at 6:11 pm

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