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Related Experiment Videos

Women's hidden transcripts about abortion in Brazil

M K Nations1, C Misago, W Fonseca

  • 1Harvard University Medical School, Department of Social Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|June 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Poor Brazilian women use folk remedies for "delayed" or "suspended" menstruation, a hidden reproductive transcript expressing dissent against abortion laws and lack of family planning. This challenges public opinion on reproductive health.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Anthropology
  • Sociology of Health
  • Reproductive Health Studies

Background:

  • Folk medical conditions like "delayed" (atrasada) and "suspended" (suspendida) menstruation are prevalent among poor women in Northeast Brazil.
  • These conditions are managed through culturally prescribed methods, including self-administered herbal remedies, patent drugs, and pharmaceuticals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the ethnomedical understanding and practices surrounding "delayed" and "suspended" menstruation in Northeast Brazil.
  • To analyze these practices as a form of "hidden reproductive transcript" used by marginalized women to express dissent.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative research methods, likely including ethnographic observation and interviews, to understand women's perceptions and practices.
  • Analysis of cultural beliefs, euphemisms, and folklore related to conception and gestation influencing self-treatment.

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Main Results:

  • "Delayed" and "suspended" menstruation are ethnomedical concepts used by women to navigate reproductive health concerns.
  • Self-administered menstrual regulation methods are employed, facilitated by cognitive ambiguity surrounding pregnancy.
  • These practices serve as a form of collective dissent against restrictive abortion policies and inadequate family planning services.

Conclusions:

  • The concept of "hidden reproductive transcript" offers a framework for understanding how marginalized women express resistance.
  • Women's explanations of menstrual regulation may be a veiled response to hegemonic anti-abortion ideologies.
  • Future reproductive health interventions, particularly safer abortion alternatives, must consider these "hidden transcripts".