Non-compliance with the companion law as an aggravation to obstetric health

Abstract

Objective: to analyze women’s perceptions regarding non-compliance with the Companion Law, focusing on their legally constituted right and the feelings they experience during birth and delivery. Method: a descriptive-exploratory research of qualitative nature, in which data were collected from four hospitals in the Metropolitan Region II of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), between January and July 2014. Fifty-six hospitalized women were interviewed in their respective shared rooms. Thematic content analysis technique was used for analyzing the information and the guidelines for humanization of public policies for assistance in birth and delivery, considering the perspective of reproductive rights. Results: two thematic categories emerged: Women’s lack of knowledge influencing non-compliance with the Companion Law; the Companion Law as a security/safety tool for women in labor. The interviewees reported non-compliance with the aforementioned Law by health institutions and health professionals during birth and delivery, resulting in a moment permeated by negative feelings resulting from stress, emotional wear and tension in the disregard for the couples’ reproductive rights. Conclusion: the Companion Law needs to be better promoted as a couple’s reproductive right, one that guarantees safety during labor and inhibits violating their rights.