From wet nurses to orphaned mothers: reflections on the right to maternity in Brazil

This article addresses the compulsory seizing of children from vulnerable women in Brazil. Its objectives were: to discuss the violation of the right to maternity; to present the imposed restrictions especially on poor, black and indigenous women; the strategic control over their lives and children, and the resistance movements that oppose segregation. The sources of the research were: narratives of women in vulnerable situations, family members and health workers; interviews with strategic actors; document analysis; field journal. It became evident that vulnerabilities -linked to the criminalization of poverty and racial prejudice- have justified these separations. The lack of responsibility that State and society practice towards the support network for women, the devaluation of non-hegemonic productions of maternity, and the reinforcement of a 'reason of the world', that produces violence as a tool for exclusion establishing practical limits on the right to maternity. Women and children are disregarded in their singularities. Resistance movements have shown that intersectoral dialogues are an alternative to overcome discrimination and vulnerabilities.