Obstetric Violence in Argentina: a Study on the Legal Effects of Medical Guidelines and Statutory Obligations for Improving the Quality of Maternal Health

Obstetric Violence is a pervasive phenomenon that affects women’s maternal health worldwide. It has been recognized by the WHO that abusive and disrespectful treatment in facility-based childbirth is a contributing factor in maternal and infant mortality, and the global community has adopted steps in attempting to identify and eliminate all forms of obstetric violence. Within Latin America, Argentina has taken proactive measures legislating the proscription of obstetric violence. This thesis seeks to examine the development of the concept of Obstetric Violence in Argentina, its organic evolution from internal medical regulations and guidelines to national legislation. The thesis will also track evidence about the degrees of success that Obstetric Violence definition, assessment and regulation have had in preventing violations of women’s rights—both on a practical level and in the legal redress of these rights through tort claims.LL.M