The Seimas passed on Thursday amendments to the Law on Nursing Practice and Midwifery Practice in a vote of 75 to four with 34 abstentions.
The amendments, which will take effect next January, allow providing midwifery services at home births with no high-risk pregnancy factors according to rules set by the health minister.
“People give birth at home. This is a reality. It is their right to choose. This can’t be ignored, and the state must put in place clear rules that must be observed to ensure safe (births),” Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga has said.
The ministry underlines that the parents themselves will have to pay for midwifery services at home.