PSD wants to eliminate the concept of obstetric violence from the law approved in March, CDS defends the repeal of the law on rights during pregnancy and childbirth

In the bill presented last Friday, the PSD classifies as “excessively broad and undesirably vague” the concept of obstetric violence contained in the law approved in March of this year and argues that its application “could result in the creation of an unacceptable stigma on doctors and health professionals, even encouraging undesirable and dangerous defensive medical practices”.

The concept of obstetric violence, as defined in the law in force since March 31 (which was based on projects by the Left Bloc and PAN and was voted against by the PSD and CDS), includes physical and verbal acts carried out by health professionals that are based on dehumanized behavior, abuse of medicalization or “pathologization of natural processes, disrespecting the protection regime”, from the moments before conception until birth. In this line, the law creates the legal framework for episiotomy, an incision made to facilitate childbirth, promoting its eradication. Performing “routine episiotomies and other repeated unjustified practices” may result in disciplinary investigations of health professionals or in penalties in hospital funding, in light of the law, which the PSD considers that “compromises and degrades the necessary and essential autonomy of health professionals responsible for clinical decision-making”.

Next Friday, Parliament will discuss the bill presented by the CDS, which aims to repeal the law on rights during pregnancy and childbirth. This party considers that the concept of obstetric violence “is not in line with the standards followed in other countries of the European Union” and that the current legislation “does not protect women or their children”, and could be an obstacle to birth rates.