#EuVivo – (dis)Order around the concept of obstetric violence and its criminalisation in Portugal

Abstract

The criminalisation of obstetric violence is one of the demands of social movements for the humanisation of childbirth. The WHO acknowledges the existence of mistreatment in sexual and reproductive health care, recognising it as a global phenomenon. In Portugal, there was an attempt to advance the criminalisation of obstetric violence, which was contested by the Order of Physicians and, in turn, led to the creation of a social movement for the recognition of obstetric violence. This article aims to analyse the response of the Order of Physicians in comparison with existing literature and reports on the creation of the #EuVivo movement as a way to value social movements against obstetric violence.