Who should we entrust birth to?

In many countries of the East-Central European region, independent birth movements have emerged in recent years aiming at improving the present maternity care systems. In this context, new questions and debates arise: Is birth a political or a private issue? What current problems are women and health professionals facing? These and other related questions were discussed by experts from NGOs and health institutions at a round-table discussion on March, 27th 2017. The event titled "Dialogue on gender equality: Who should we entrust birth to?" was organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Budapest in co-operation with the Association EMMA and the movement "Respectful maternity care!". Experts from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary discussed with the members of the audience how violations in women's rights and problematic medical practices should be countered.