Woman who lost home birth ruling escapes paying legal bill for HSE

A woman who lost a legal challenge to allow her to have a home birth has avoided a massive legal bill.

The High Court ruled this morning that the action taken by Aja Teehan has helped clarify the legal position in relation to home births.

The judge did not make an order for costs so both parties will pay their own legal fees.

The university lecturer had challenged what she claimed was the HSE's blanket policy of refusing to cover home births for women who have had previous caesarean sections.

She is due to give birth to her second child on October 13.

Aja Teehan, who was not in court today, will not be appealing to the Supreme Court.

The Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services, Ireland (AIMS Ireland) welcomed the decision, saying it was "a public interest case with significant repercussions for women seeking evidence-based maternity care in Ireland".

The charity said: "The public attention of this case has been solely focused on homebirth and has detracted from the real issue of women’s rights to make responsible, informed choices in pregnancy and childbirth.

"Best practice clearly states that patients should be assessed on an individual basis on their current health, current medical conditions, as well as their previous history. The HSE are not providing women with individual assessment, a fundamental principle in evidence based care."