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The aim of this review is to present the state of the art regarding obstetric violence in Brazil. The most commonly used terms are "obstetric violence," "disrespect and abuse," and "mistreatment". Concerning measurement, the most widely used instrument is based on the definition of "mistreatment," still in its early stages of evaluation and lacking adaptation to Brazil. The prevalence of obstetric violence varies widely in national studies due to methodological factors and the type of postpartum women considered. Regarding risk factors, adolescent or women over 35, non-white, with low education levels, users of the public health system (SUS), those who had vaginal birth or abortion, are at higher risk. Hierarchical relationships between the healthcare team and the family are also relevant, as well as inadequate hospital structures, bed shortages, and insufficient healthcare professionals, which contribute to obstetric violence. The consequences of this violence include an increased risk of postpartum depression and PTSD, reduced likelihood of attending postpartum and childcare consultations, and difficulties in exclusive breastfeeding. Interventions to mitigate obstetric violence should consider women's empowerment, healthcare professionals' training, monitoring obstetric violence, and legal support.

Studies on disrespect and abuse/mistreatment/obstetric violence during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium have increased in recent decades. However, researchers interested in the subject face many theoretical and methodological difficulties. In this sense, this study aims to discuss and reflect on how issues related to definition and terminology, measurement, and public policies in Brazil have hindered research on this topic and the mitigation of these acts. The first problem addressed was the lack of consensus regarding the terminology and definition of this construct. This situation causes a cascading effect, impacting the use of non-validated measurement instruments and, consequently, a lack of accuracy and comparability between studies. Another issue mentioned is the lack of studies exploring the consequences of these acts on women's and newborn's health, which is one of the main gaps on the subject today. The absence of causal studies affects health decision-making, impairing the elaboration of specific public policies.

The Federal Medical Council (FMC) published FMC Resolution No. 1,358/1992 with the aim of adopting ethical standards for the use of Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART). This resolution was updated in 2010 (CFM No. 1957/2010), in 2013 (CFM No. 2,013/13) and the last update was in 2015 (CFM No. 2.121/2015). The scope of this article is to conduct a critical analysis of the evolution of the ethical norms proposed by FMC for the use of ART in Brazil. A documentary analysis of the text of the four published Resolutions was carried out, in which the ethical standards for the use of ART were described. It was observed that the resolution evolved in relation to the rights of homosexuals, adopted more permissive measures regarding cryopreservation, donation of gametes and embryos and uteruses on loan and lastly authorized some procedures in ART such as postmortem reproduction, donation and shared gestation. From 2013 onwards the resolution gained a liberal character being updated in terms of clinical practice. For the next updates it would be interesting to include procedures in ART not previously addressed such as nuclear and cytoplasmic transfer. The update frequency (every two years) should be kept to the ethical standards enabling the ART to continue evolving together with the advancement of science.