The social origin of violations of reproductive rights by gynecologists in public health care institutions in Mexico

Considerable evidence has shown that women’s reproductive rights are frequently violated in public-hospital settings in Mexico. In some cases, physicians have been extremely authoritarian and repressive. Their actions can only be interpreted within the framework of gender and power inequity that characterizes these encounters. Why do physicians treat patients in these ways? This area of research must keep in mind the imbalance of power within the physician-patient relationship, in which one actor is invested with power/knowledge and the other is “only a patient.” The imbalance is even greater during gynecological or obstetrical procedures because of a woman’s physical and emotional vulnerability during pregnancy and labor. We present results of a research focused on three dimensions that, we surmise, disclose in particularly clear ways the social origins of medical authoritarianism and doctors inclination to violate women’s rights: the formation of medical doctors at school, their daily practice at the hospital, and the way they defend themselves in court when they face formal accusations by former patients. This is a qualitative research and its design is guided by a grounded theory approach. The aim of this this paper is to present the main findings of this research conducted over the last 12 years.