The Viciebsk city department of the Investigative Committee handed over to the court the case of a 30-year-old woman from Viciebsk, who, according to investigators, admitted the death of her newborn child through negligence.

The woman, as the investigators say, registered in the women's consultation, underwent a survey, but refused to take prescribed medications and a number of important studies. On the day of childbirth, she again refused to be hospitalized, although she was warned about possible complications and dangerous consequences of home birth. The woman was convinced that it would be dangerous to give birth in the hospital, and referred to former births outside the hospital.

In the evening of February 17, the woman gave birth to a viable daughter, but she did not inform the doctors and did not take measures to control the child's condition. As a result, the daughter had aspiration of amniotic fluid. The woman turned to the doctors only when her attempts to reanimate the child did not work.

The doctors of the ambulance brought the child to the intensive care unit of Viciebsk maternity hospital, after carrying out possible resuscitation actions on the way, but soon the child died.

The woman was taken into custody. She was recognized mentally healthy and sane – she could be aware of the danger of her actions. Now for causing death by negligence (Part 1 of Article 144 of the Criminal Code of Belarus) she is threatened with correctional labor, or up to three years of restriction or imprisonment.

In itself, home births in Belarus are not punishable by law (and are not prohibited when dealing with emergency cases), but the work of midwives outside hospitals is prohibited by law. Completely successfully pass only 16% of home births, in other cases, the life of a child and a woman in childbirth may depend on the help of medics. Nevertheless, about 300 Belarusian women give birth at home each year.

Radio Liberty