Sole birth illegal

Law prohibits mother from dispensing with midwife

According to the law, a midwife must be present during a birth. (symbolic image)(Bild: Tyler Olson - stock.adobe.com)

This 38-year-old mother of four from the Hausruckviertel in Upper Austria has given birth to three children without the help of midwives or doctors. The last unassisted birth ended fatally - as reported - and her daughter is severely disabled. Although the woman is not alone in her desire to give birth alone, it is illegal to do without help.

"It's called obstetrics because help is needed" - Thomas Fiedler, the long-standing head of the Upper Austrian gynecologists' specialist group, has no sympathy for women who decide to give birth without assistance. "The risks cannot be weighed up," says the doctor, who is clearly in favor of giving birth in hospital.