As mulheres populares no palco do judiciário: práticas de infanticídio e aborto em Guarapuava/PR (1920-1970)

Abstract

This dissertation has as its object of study the discourses around the female practices of infanticide and abortion in the Comarca de Guarapuava/PR between 1920 and 1970. The research source is six criminal proceedings, as well as the Folha do Oeste newspaper (1937-1970) that are under the custody of the Documentation and Memory Center of Guarapuava (CEDOC/G). The Penal Codes of 1890 and 1940 and the comments of jurists about the legislation make up the set of historical sources that is analyzed. In this way, it was noticed that the discursive practices around women, over time, reveal the naturalization of the role of women in society, motherhood. In the narratives present in the processes, the experiences of women who transgressed the law by denying motherhood also demonstrate family, sociability and love relationships. In this perspective, gender studies contribute to thinking about the dichotomous relationships between men and women and analyzing the roles defined for each sex from a discursive and cultural construction perspective. For the investigation, analysis and interpretation of historical sources, it was supported by Michel Foucault’s thought, such as, Discipline and Punish and Juridical Truths. It was found that in cases of infanticide, the judge accepted the charges made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but due to the time elapsed, the women were not put on trial by the jury. Regarding the only case of abortion, it was proven that the practice was not criminal.