Pregnant woman sues hospital for refusing her midwife

A 37-weeks-pregnant woman is suing the Bravis hospital in Roosendaal for refusing to let her use her own midwife during birth. The midwife is not affiliated with the care network the hospital works with, and the hospital therefore refused her. "This is in conflict with the right to self-determination and freedom of choice in healthcare', Anniek de Ruijter of women's rights organization Clara Wichmann said to RTL Nieuws.

The organization is assisting the pregnant woman with this lawsuit. "This lawsuit shows exactly what went wrong with the implementation of integral birth care in the Netherlands", De Ruijter said to the broadcaster. "With this court case the woman wants to help other pregnant women in the country. She is no exception. It often happens that women don't have the freedom to choose their midwives."

The lawsuit will appear in the court of Breda on Thursday, March 8th - also International Women's Day.