Gynecological and obstetrical violence, biomedical technologies andabortion care in a public maternity ward in North-East Brazil

Abstract

Brazilian legislation restricts the practice of abortion. In Brazil, abortion is a major public health problem due to the morbidity, mortality and hospitalization caused by the practice of unsafe abortions. Complications related to induced abortion and miscarriages are treated in “maternity wards”, where obstetric violence can be perpetrated. To analyse, based on ethnographic data, the practices of biomedical technologies and their relation to practices of gynecological and obstetrical violence. Three main practices are systematized for didactic purposes: treatment of complications from abortion in maternity wards; ultrasound; and curettage. Despite the existence of national standards – due to the advances of the brazilian health and feminist movement – and international standards, there is still institutional resistance to the adoption of practices that prioritize women’s well-being. The way in which the ward is organized and materialized and the adoption of certain practices and technologies (and the omission of others) contribute to reproducing obstetric violence. The daily practices in the hospital do not escape the moralization of abortion, and the strong economic, racial and gender inequalities that go beyond the institutional space of the hospital. The analysis allows us to understand that the practice of biomedical technologies shapes and is shaped in a symbolic and situated way and can serve as an instrument for practices of embodied violence. Finally, it is necessary to review the model of post-abortion care.