Abstract
The article discusses abortion and miscarriage from the perspective of women admitted to a public maternity hospital in Salvador (BA), Brazil. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, it draws on participant observation of everyday hospital life. Taking an ethnographic approach, it addresses the hospital experiences of women who had miscarriages or induced abortions, also presenting the views of health professionals. It argues that the way the institution structures care for abortion and miscarriage involves symbolic processes that profoundly affect women’s experiences. The discrimination against women who have had abortions/ miscarriages is an integral part of the structure, organization and culture of these institutions, and does not derive solely from the individual actions of healthcare personnel.
| Translated title of the contribution | The dilemma of a practice: Experiences of abortion in a public maternity hospital in the city of Salvador, Bahia |
|---|---|
| Original language | Portuguese |
| Journal | Historia, Ciencias, Saude - Manguinhos |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |
Keywords
- Abortion
- Hospital ethnography
- Maternity
- Obstetric violence
- Symbolic processes
Access to Document
- McCallum_2016_HCSM_Abortion_CC
Copyright © 2016 The Author(s)/Publisher. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.