Obstetric Violence in the Spanish Prison Context: A Feminist Bioethical Approach

This article examines obstetric violence in Spanish prisons through the lens of feminist bioethics and an intersectional perspective. A qualitative study was conducted in four mother-and-child prison units, involving thirty incarcerated women living with their children. Using semistructured interviews and participant observation, instances of obstetric violence were identified during pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, and breastfeeding. The findings indicate that such violence constitutes a severe violation of human rights. This article emphasizes the urgent need to render these harmful experiences visible through feminist bioethics, frame them within a social justice agenda, and promote intersectional and feminist research and public policies that protect reproductive rights.