Renowned Viennese defense lawyer Liane Hirschbrich will have to spend this Christmas without her two-month-old triplets Sara, Caroline, and Christian.
According to “oe24”, the Austrian Youth Services took her children on Thursday (21.12.), alleging that she cannot fulfill her duty of care due to her professional workload of 70 hours per week.
Lawyer Denies Youth Services Allegations
The lawyer vehemently denies the allegations. “I am not employed by any law firm. If I want, I work for five hours a day, or I don’t work at all,” Hirschbrich told “oe24”. She criticizes the system and asks, “There are thousands of single mothers in Austria who are in the same situation. Why are they allowed to keep their children while mine are taken away from me?”
When Hirschbrich found out that her triplets were placed with different foster parents, she was shocked. “This should not be allowed,” she commented on the authorities’ decision. She even claims that it is unlawful to separate the newly born siblings.
Doctors Doubt Lawyer’s Ability to Handle Dual Responsibilities
Youth Services were alerted after an incident at the hospital. The lawyer reportedly fell asleep briefly on the premature baby care unit. This led the doctors to question whether she is capable of handling the dual responsibility of work and family. She defended herself to “oe24”: “The room was completely dark; it’s natural to fall asleep after a certain time.”
Mother Suspects Political Motive behind Custody Revocation
Furthermore, the lawyer claims that Youth Services abruptly entered her apartment with the police and took her children. Hirschbrich describes the authorities’ actions as “ruthless” and criticizes that the police were present to protect Youth Services while “so many dangerous people are roaming the country.”
The mother of the triplets suspects that the authorities’ extreme actions are politically motivated. The SPÖ did not take her recent departure from the party well. “They want to silence me,” said Hirschbrich to “oe24”, but added that she will not be discouraged.
