Latin America ponders how to fight “obstetric violence”
The region has lots of laws to improve treatment of expectant mothers. They are not working
“COME ON, SMILE! This is the most important day of your life.” The midwife was upbeat. But Agustina, a 38-year-old comedian and brand-new mother, was shaken. It was 2012; she had just undergone a Caesarean section at a hospital in Argentina. Her obstetrician, she believes, had made the surgery more likely by inserting hormones into her vagina during a check-up, without explanation.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Birth pangs”
From the May 23rd 2020 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Javier Milei, free-market revolutionary
Argentina’s president explains how he has overturned the old economic order
Is Uruguay too stable for its own good?
The new president must deal with serious problems with growth, education and crime
Bolsonaro’s bid to regain Brazil’s presidency may end in prison
Brazilian police have accused some of his backers of involvement not just in a coup, but in an assassination plot
The mafia’s latest bonanza: salmon heists
Fish farming is big business in Chile. Stealing fish is, too
Parlacen, a bizarre parliament, is a refuge for bent politicians
A seat in the Central American body offers immunity from prosecution
Brazil courts China as its Musk feud erupts again
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, spies a chance to draw Brazil closer