Mothers with HIV: A case for a human rights approach to HIV/AIDS care in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

How do Brazilian health care policies, designed to support human rights, affect mothers with HIV? Drawing on semi-structured in-depth interviews with a group of urban poor mothers in Northeastern Brazil, this chapter examines the broader social and political contexts within which these women live their lives with HIV. The chapter looks specifically at women's attitudes toward HIV diagnosis, their motivations for accepting HIV treatment and care, and their experiences with medical caregivers. It argues that strong social and institutional networks as well as a universal HIV treatment program provide Northeastern Brazilian mothers with forms of support that may be absent in other countries. It further suggests that particular forms of health care, such as the human rights-based approach Brazil has taken to HIV/AIDS, may improve patient-provider relationships.