The right to abortion in Brazil and the role of Primary Health Care

• Autor(a) principal: Giugliani, Camila
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Ruschel, Angela Ester, Belomé da Silva, Maura Carolina, Maia, Melanie Noël, Pereira Salvador de Oliveira, Denize Ornelas
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.rbmfc.org.br/rbmfc/article/view/1791
• topic: Abortion; Induced; Legal; Primary Health Care; Family Practice; Aborto Inducido; Aborto Legal; Atención Primaria de Salud; Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria; Aborto Induzido; Aborto Legal; Atenção Primária à Saúde; Medicina de Família e Comunidade; Aborto; Direitos Sexuais e Reprodutivos

Despite important progress in public health in Brazil, maternal deaths from unsafe abortion remain a continuous challenge. Because it is a prevailing condition in the population, a woman who seeks health care for abortion-related issues must find in the primary care facility a safe doorway and an open space for dialogue. Considering that Brazil’s legal context is one of the most restrictive in the world in relation to abortion, this text presents ideas on how the family physician can act in dealing with a situation of unwanted pregnancy, based on the experience of other countries and considering the primary care attributes and the medical ethics code. Finally, the experience of the Legal Abortion Forum in Rio Grande do Sul is reported, in order to share concrete actions aimed at the qualification of care for women who seek an abortion that is granted by law. In conclusion, in our country, a first step to acquire more significant progress on the right to abortion is to enforce the law that guarantees its fulfillment in specific situations. Moreover, the engagement of primary care professionals in harm reduction seems to be a key strategy to prevent unsafe abortion and, consequently, to reduce maternal mortality.