The ELAS Fund mourns the death of doctor and feminist activist Fátima Oliveira on Sunday, November 5, 2017.

 

Born in Maranhão and based in Minas Gerais, Fátima Oliveira worked as a doctor at the Hospital das Clínicas in Belo Horizonte, was a high-profile researcher and thinker on women's health and bioethics, published several books and had a vast output of articles articulating critical reflections on the relationship between women's health, sexism and racism.

 

She has worked for decades in defense of comprehensive health care policies, the Unified Health System and women's health, and the need for a special focus on the health of the black population. She denounced and fought against institutional racism and the avoidable deaths of the black population as a result of discriminatory practices in health care. She was a fierce activist for an end to the criminalization of abortion, defending its legalization in the name of women's autonomy and health. She was the executive secretary of the Feminist Network for Health, Sexual Rights and Reproductive Rights and an advisor to the Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network. She took part in drawing up the National Policy for the Integral Health of the Black Population.

 

Fátima was also a member of the Honorary Council of the ELAS Fund, and leaves an immense legacy for women's movements. The ELAS Fund expresses its solidarity with her family and friends.