To gestate, give birth and not become a mother: refusals, impossibilities and violations in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

This study sought to understand the reasons for “voluntary surrender” in the district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We performed a document analysis of termination of parental rights actions and extinction of parental rights actions that took place after the promulgation of Law 13509/17, focusing on the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on the reflections of Ferreira and Lowenkron, data collection and document analysis was performed bearing in mind that the production, writing and circulation of writs are reality manufacturing technologies. Based on the multiplicity of voices speaking about the motives, we defined three core themes of analysis: (1) the impossibility of care; (2) the refusal of motherhood, resignation and indifference; and (3) institutional violence.