Objection of conscience or ideological instrumentalization? An analysis of discourses of managers and other professionals regarding legal abortion

This article sought to understand objection of conscience based on an analysis of the ideological formations that permeate access to legal abortion in cases of sexual violence in the perspective of workers and managers who work at reference centers. It is a qualitative research with semi-structured interviews of 20 workers (six of whom were also managers) of these services. The study used discourse analysis. Results show that objection of conscience emerged as a central discursive element. The contextualized analysis of the discourses showed an instrumentalization of the prerogative according to ideological reasons, flowing toward the organization of the following categories: the instrumentalization of objection of conscience and the disarticulation of the network; and instrumentalization of the objection of conscience in order to surveil and punish. We conclude that objection of conscience as discursive formation was re-signified so as to compose a complex and refined system of internal sabotage - both conscious and unconscious - of the health care services for women victims of sexual violence, despite the existing legal framework and advancements.