Companion Law in the media: the pandemic and its impacts on birth rights

Abstract Pregnant women have the right to a companion of their choice during hospitalization, pre-delivery, delivery and postpartum, a right assured nationwide by Law no. 11,108, implemented in 2005. However, health protocols have restricted these rights on the grounds of mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this study sought to understand the approaches, actors involved, and arguments presented about noncompliance with the Companion Law during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing G1 Portal news articles published from March 2020 to April 2022, using the map feature. Results show that failure to comply with the aforementioned law occurred most often in the first half of 2020, justified by biosafety issues, lack of budget for purchasing personal protective equipment, and the atypical moment. In several places legal intervention was necessary for compliance, becoming a journalistic agenda, with the most emblematic case happening in Tocantins, where the veto lasted until April 2022. Analysis showed a discrepancy regarding law compliance in several municipalities and states, despite the Ministry of Health and several legal bodies having issued opinions and protocols recommending the presence of a companion.