Women’s Hidden Transcripts
Brazil is the biggest country in Latin America, with a population of 209.3 million people, of which 50.8% are women. This diverse country is deeply divided, distributing the population based on their geographical location, social standing, and access to education. Those who live in the north are often seen as the “lower class”; meanwhile, those who live in the southern side of the country are considered the wealthy and knowledgeable “upper class”. Often, this kind of division can be portrayed in the same neighborhood, where favelas are located right next to luxurious homes and buildings.
In Brazil, minorities-particularly women- are often oppressed, placing them at a constant disadvantage; especially in the poorest regions of the country. The general status of women is concerning, even though they are provided with their version of “equality”, they often fall victims of violence and poverty. Brazil has the highest rate of femicide in Latin America, with an alarming 25%-50% of women reporting domestic violence. This percentage continues to increase, with a majority of victims being concentrated amongst the afro-Brazilian and indigenous populations; conflicts over land and agricultural goods are also to blame for the increase of violence in the northern regions.
The opportunity to go to school, and get an education is a luxury that not many can afford in this country. Brazilian women are often greatly affected by this, female education rates are low, especially in poor regions of the country. These women are still seen as solely caregivers and housewives, their role in society revolves around their resources to support their family, and themselves. Most of these mothers, often turn to low paying jobs and prostitution to make ends meet for their duties. Only those who belong in the higher classes are able to afford and obtain an education that allows them to rise the social ladder and gain a place in society that does not revolve around colonial views of women.
Brazil is Roman Catholic, posing a great threat to the understanding of human and sexual rights, particularly for women. Catholicism cultivates a colonial perspective of women and their role in society. They are mostly perceived as mothers, creating conflict and jeopardizing their basic human rights.
Abortion is a very controversial topic, it is only legal in extreme cases, such as: rape, and when it poses any kind of threat to either the mother or the fetus. According to the Penal Code passed in 1940, any woman who terminates a pregnancy under any other circumstance faces up to three years in prison, and whoever performs it can face double the penalty. In a country like brazil, Abortion is looked down upon and often hidden from the public until serious complications obligate women to go to the hospital. The government has long been criticized for its extreme restrictions on abortion laws, which has costed them 4,400 deaths, serious infections and miscarriages.
According to the Reproductive Health Matters journal, very few legal abortions are carried out each year; out of 1,000 live births, 444 ends in abortions each year. This directly emphasizes the alarming percentage of women who take part in clandestine and unsafe abortions, which has often ended in 300,000 hospitalizations due to complications or even death. There are different types of abortion providers, doctors, nurses and “angel factories”, those women in lower classes often resort to induced practices, while those who have the means to pay for an abortion do so safely and with the necessary aftercare. A drug known as misoprostol is very popular and its utilized in 90% of induced abortions; this analogue of prostaglandin is meant to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers. However, it has become increasingly popular among women, due to the side effects it poses to pregnant women.
Despite the ability to obtain contraceptives, there is limited access to family planning information and services to all women, only those women in higher social classes, the privileged ones can afford safe care and obtain more resources in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The barriers to obtain knowledge and contraceptive methods has obligated women to take matters into their own hands. Some women have even missed doses and have been denied long-term contraceptive methods due to the lack of resources in clinics and centers closing due to strikes. Nonetheless, there is very little being done in order to attack the issues such restrictions have brought to the community of women.
The national system in Brazil decided to create PAISM, the programme of Integrated Health Care for women; which aims to provide women with their basic rights and healthcare necessary in all areas of life, especially sexual health. Nonetheless, the government still has not assumed full responsibility for programs like PAISM, limiting their funding and attaining limited results. Other institutions, such as Replolatina seek to find innovative ways to help these women and provide them with the knowledge and generate a protective and more aware culture. Their main goal is to empower the population of women of all ages, to make safe decisions and take control of their sexual health and sexual rights. There have been many challenges in the implementation of awareness, yet, feminist groups have been able to successfully fight the lack of education of young women when it comes to their well-being and options when they are faced with unwanted pregnancies, sexual knowledge, infections and ways to learn more about their bodies. Also, this has forced the government and women in power to continue to battle the restrictions that have been implemented in the sexual knowledge of women.
The United States is one of the most influential countries in the world, known for their “Liberty and Freedom for all”, interpretation of human rights and unlimited possibilities. However, there has been some debate whether women should continue to have access to safe abortion and family planning. In comparison to Brazil, the United States has majority of support for legal abortion, applying certain restrictions to precluding premature births after a specific point in the pregnancy, which is common between the 20-24 week of pregnancy. In 35 out of the 50 states require women to attend counseling programs and sessions before deciding whether they want to continue or terminate the pregnancy, as a way to prevent an abortion but still providing women with ta choice. The current status of legislation in the US towards this certain topic is uncertain, opinions are divided between parties and their opposing views in women's sexual rights. Republicans focus on the “prolife” idea, which focuses on supporting human life an abolishing the idea of abortion all together, restricting it to life threatening situations, similarly to the way the Brazilian government portrays abortion. Democrats emphasize and strongly support a woman’s entitlement to have the last word in any matters regarding their own body and their pregnancy, including safe and legal ways to do it. Personally, I believe that women should continue to have the right to their own body, continue to fight to have a vice in congress and the senate, and have the right to decide what they think is best for themselves and whether they think they are ready for a pregnancy or not. This is a decision that should stay between the woman, her partner, the doctor and her religious beliefs if any. Any other outside opinion is not deemed necessary, especially coming from a society of men who do not understand what it means to be a woman today.
All in all, I believe that gender inequalities and women’s sexual rights should never be limited or dictated by anyone else but that person. Denial of services that are only required for women is unjust and limits their growth in society. I believe the biggest way to help women is to advocate for them, in order for there to be change, there has to be awareness and understanding of the situation from a woman’s standpoint. Forcing women to take this matter in their own hands often results in great loss, as seen in very restrictive countries like Brazil. The primary role of reproductive healthcare is a topic that needs to be talked about, reproductive freedom should be accessible to all regardless of their social status, income, and ethnicity.