Vozes femininas: narrativas sobre o acesso ao aborto legal em serviços públicos

Abstract

When there is a pregnancy resulting from rape, women have the legal right to terminate pregnancies if they wish. However, the process of legally terminating a pregnancy in Brazil is fraught with numerous historical and social barriers. There is a significant gap between what is prescribed by law and the full realization of women's rights. The overall goal of this dissertation was to understand how women make sense of their stories, bodies, and sexualities after undergoing a legal abortion and to listen to the paths taken by women seeking a legally prescribed abortion and their experiences with healthcare. This dissertation consists of two studies. Study 1 is a qualitative research that aimed to understand how women make sense of their stories, bodies, and sexualities after undergoing a legal abortion due to rape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six women who used legal abortion services in a city in Minas Gerais, and the contents were organized through reflexive thematic analysis into three categories: History and Discovery; The Choice: Between Guilt and Relief; Being a Woman and Sexuality. For data analysis, we drew on feminist epistemological assumptions. Through the narratives of these women, we were able to perceive a significant difficulty in the path these women took to access healthcare services, as well as their evident suffering in the face of the realities of the numerous violences they endured. Study 2 also adopted a qualitative approach, with the aim of listening to the paths taken by women seeking a legally prescribed abortion and their experiences with healthcare. Based on the content of the interviews conducted with the six women mentioned earlier, we used reflexive thematic analysis together with feminist epistemologies and identified three categories for discussion: (Mis)Information and (Mis)Guidance; Loneliness and the Fragility of the Network; The Role of the Healthcare Team. We noticed through their accounts a significant lack of information about their own rights. Furthermore, the journey to find guidance in the public healthcare sector regarding legal abortion was extremely difficult and lonely. However, after receiving the proper care and undergoing the legally prescribed abortion, the women felt supported and well-received by the healthcare team. It was also evident that there is a significant gap between what is prescribed in the Ministry of Health's guidelines and its effective implementation by healthcare professionals. Both studies point to the need to broaden the perspective on women's health, expand their rights, and not overlook the subjective experiences that entangle "being a woman" in a society that operates on patriarchal foundations.