Barriers in Accessing Care for Consequence of Unsafe Abortion by Black Women: Evidence of Institutional Racism in Brazil

This study aimed at identifying factors associated with the institutional barriers in access to health services for women who underwent abortion by race/color. The survey encompassed 2640 users admitted to public hospitals in Salvador, Recife, and S ão Luís. Differences among covariables according to race/color (Black, Brown, and White women) were analyzed and tested for statistical significance using Pearson’s χ2 test. The regression analysis initially included variables that may express the technical criteria of priority in care (time of pregnancy when abortion occurred and conditions of arrival), then the sociodemographic characteristics, and, lastly, the type of abortion declared. Black women faced more institutional difficulties (27.7% vs 19.5% in White women and 18.7% in Brown women), such as waiting to be attended and getting a bed. The association between being Black women and institutional barriers remained, even after adjustments in the regression model. Institutional racism limits access to health services and timely care for Black women, acting as a performative mechanism, legitimizing and generating exclusionary behaviors. The results demonstrate that the intersection between racial discrimination and abortion stigma redouble institutional barriers that are denominated intersectional discrimination.
Source: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research