THE FEMALE STERILIZATION CONTROVERSY: FRAMING …

1 1 THE FEMALE STERILIZATION controversy : FRAMING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF RACE AND GENDER IN BRAZIL By MEGAN BAROLET-FOGARTY A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2007 2 2007 Megan Barolet-Fogarty 3 To my boys who spurred me on with their THESIS! chant 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to my committee for their support through this process. My chair, Charles Wood, has made every effort to make himself available and has been wonderfully supportive and understanding. He has proven with his graciousness and open-mindedness that it is possible for a quantitative sociologist and a qualitative anthropologist to see eye-to-eye! Faye Harrison has been a source of inspiration and support since my first semester at the University of Florida, with her sophisticated understanding of intersectionality, and experience working on the African Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2 Florence Babb has also been very giving with valuable advice on feminist theory and feminism in Latin America. Jeffrey Needell, while not an official member of my committee, inspired my work, not only with his demands for academic excellence, but equally with his warm support of me and my family. I greatly appreciated the support that Helen Safa has lent me, sharing with me her experiences and contacts prior to my visit to Brazil, and showing great interest in my work upon my return. Dr. Safa also placed me in contact with her former student, Nathalie Lebon, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in S o Paulo, and who was very giving in her professional and practical advice on research with women s movements in Brazil. Carmen Diana Deere supported me through her role as director of the Latin American Studies Center, but also in her willingness to use personal contacts to aid in my research. Robin Sheriff and Rachel Harding, neither of whom I have had the pleasure to personally meet, were also extremely giving of their time and connections when I requested advice.

3 Without Paula Miranda Ribeiro I might not have been granted the research visa that allowed me to work in Brazil, and she continued to graciously offer help throughout my field work period. I would also like to thank Arlene Ricoldi, a young Brazilian feminist who was quick to reply to my emails, gracious in her invitations to events, and generously allowed me to practice my interview skills upon her. 5 It would not have been possible for me to conduct research in S o Paulo without the very generous accommodations provided by Patricia Britto and the da Cunha Lima family. Patricia s warm support made it possible for me to know that my family was safe and comfortable, allowing me to focus on my work. She, and her family, also made sure that we enjoyed our time in Brazil, with wonderful escapes to the fazenda and the praia! Another great personal acknowledgement is due to our dear family friend Gera Nelson, who is partially responsible for my interest in Brazil that began in childhood.

4 When she learned that I was to visit her hometown of Belo Horizonte, Gera flew into action and made sure that we would be well taken care of from the moment we arrived. One of Gera s most generous actions was to connect us with Gordon and Teca Greathouse, and the Methodist Community Center in S o Gabriel, a place of physical and spiritual beauty that provided many special memories. My fieldwork in Brazil was supported financially by a travel grant from the Tinker foundation. Additionally, my graduate studies at the University of Florida would not have been possible without the financial support of the FLAS academic year fellowship, which has also financed my studies of Brazilian Portuguese. The Center for Latin American Studies has been a wonderful place to study, and although my family responsibilities have kept me from deepening many friendships, my fellow MALAS students, particularly Mayra and Juliana, have been wonderful when I needed advice, encouragement, or a sympathetic ear.

5 To Alison and Dea, I owe many thanks for long telephone conversations and their unconditional love and support. Sarah has been a source of inspiration as her physical journey so closely paralleled my own mental and academic challenges. Those voice mail messages kept me going when I needed it most. Laura and Breanne, my running partners, thank you for your friendship, and also for keeping me sane with purely physical exhaustion! Ryan, I love you first 6 because you are my brother, and a wonderful human being, but your technical support and computer advice during this long process certainly did not hurt. To my wonderful husband and beautiful son: thank you for everything. Ampofo, thank you for listening when I rambled on upon frame analysis or Black feminist thought, topics that made as much sense to you as your Chemistry does to me. Thank you for trusting me enough to follow me to Brazil, a land where everyone and everything was foreign.

6 Kieran Yaw, thank you for your sweet hugs and sticky kisses. Thank you both for your understanding when my work took me away from you and our time together. Even more, thank you for all the times you distracted me from my work, and reminded me of the true joys of life. Finally, to my mom and dad, you have been there since the beginning. Long before this project began, you were encouraging me to follow my dreams and pursue my own interests, however unpractical they may be. Professionally you have plowed a path for me to follow, ripe with advice and expert knowledge. Personally, you have inspired me to be passionate about the world, about people, and about social justice. You have taken weeks off from work to accompany me on my travels. You have spent long hours into the night editing drafts and searching for lost papers. You have always been positive and profuse in your praise. You have been exemplary parents, always supportive, always available, and always full of love, and I am very, very blessed to have you in my life.

7 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS page 4 LIST OF 9 ABSTRACT .. 10 CHAPTER 1 12 Feminist Epistemology .. 15 Positionality .. 15 Activist Anthropology .. 17 Researching 20 Black Feminist 22 Intersectionality and the Matrix of Domination .. 22 Standpoint Epistemology .. 24 Third Wave Feminism: Postcolonial and Global .. 25 Stratified Reproduction .. 27 STERILIZATION and Race in the United States .. 28 Global Population Control .. 29 Thesis Overview .. 32 2 RACIAL IDEOLOGY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS .. 34 Racial Ideology in Brazil .. 34 Eugenics .. 35 Challenges to the Myth of Racial Democracy .. 37 Inclusive Hegemony .. 38 The Black Movement .. 41 The Women s Movement .. 44 The Black Women s Movement .. 45 Black Women s Health .. 54 3 THE FEMALE STERILIZATION controversy .. 56 Demographic Transitions and FEMALE STERILIZATION in Brazil .. 56 Brazilian Health care , Cesareans, and Medicalization .. 58 The Social Context of Choice.

8 64 Population Control and BEMFAM .. 68 Targeting the Northeast Region .. 71 STERILIZATION of Afro-Brazilian Women and Genocide .. 72 4 METHODOLOGY .. 76 8 Social Movement Theory: FRAMING and Organizational Interaction .. 76 Methods: Fieldwork, Grounded Theory and Frame Analysis .. 81 5 FRAME ANALYSIS .. 87 The Original Debate .. 87 Population Control .. 88 Gender Roles and Double Protection .. 90 Health Effects of STERILIZATION .. 92 The Public Health System .. 93 The Law of Family Planning .. 94 Porto Alegre .. 95 Identifying Frames .. 97 The Tense of the Debate .. 97 STERILIZATION as a Right .. 98 Health and Human Rights .. 100 Black Feminism and Reproductive Rights .. 101 6 CONCLUSION .. 104 Review of Chapters .. 104 Summary of Findings .. 106 Implications of Findings: Alliances and Coalitions .. 110 Research Concerns and Limitations .. 113 Future Research .. 113 Concluding Remarks .. 114 LIST OF REFERENCES.

9 115 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .. 124 9 LIST OF TABLES Table page 4-1 Coded Themes and Constructed Headings from analysis of interviews .. 86 10 Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts THE FEMALE STERILIZATION controversy : FRAMING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF RACE AND GENDER IN BRAZIL By Megan Barolet-Fogarty December 2007 Chair: Charles Wood Major: Latin American Studies To understand the high incidence of FEMALE STERILIZATION in Brazil, it is necessary to examine the socio-economic constraints and cultural context that limit the reproductive rights of women in this country. The visible role played by controlista agencies with ideologies of population control and backed by international funding, coupled with a lack of reliable options in terms of reversible contraceptive methods, have women s rights activists very concerned.

10 Afro-Brazilian women, caught at the intersection of numerous forms of oppression, are particularly vulnerable to a global system of stratified reproduction, which creates hierarchies of valued motherhood and reproductive health based on nation, class , and race. In Brazil, a historical legacy of eugenics and whitening led Black activists to consider high levels of FEMALE STERILIZATION in terms of genocide. Although demographic statistics failed to substantiate these claims, a controversy arose which highlighted different understandings of reproductive rights among women s movement activists. This research examines these differences through the application of social movement theory, specifically frame analysis. I conducted semi-structured interviews with social movement activists in the feminist movement and Black women s movement in three cities in Southeastern Brazil during the summer of 2007. I was primarily interested in the FRAMING of reproductive 11 rights, particularly FEMALE STERILIZATION , but also attempted to access the perceived impact of the 1996 Law of Family Planning, ten years after it was passed.