Childbirth on TV: an outlook from the perspective of Ivan Illich

The aim of this study was to understand how information about childbirth is transmitted by television, based on a health journalism program. This was a qualitative exploratory documentary study, based on all the videos related to childbirth transmitted by the program “Bem Estar” by the Brazilian network Rede Globo, between February 2011 and December 2016. The corpus was made up of 95 videos that yielded five analytical categories: childbirth as merchandise; the normalization of cesarean as a form of birth; the counterproductive effect of cesarean sections; alienation from pain; and in search of autonomy. The discussion was based on the ideas of author Ivan Illich about the heteronomous superproduction of the medical institution. The study of childbirth in a health journalism program demonstrated its potential as a relevant educational device for public health.