WOMEN'S ACCESS TO THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO HEALTH

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the impacts of overcrowding in the Brazilian women's prison system on the realization of the fundamental right to health of women deprived of liberty. Understanding health as a constitutionally provided social right, I seek to highlight how the precariousness of prison conditions compromises access to medical services, especially those aimed at gynecological and reproductive health. I adopt a qualitative approach, based on bibliographic review and documentary analysis of legal norms, institutional reports and official data. I identify the main obstacles faced by the inmates, such as the scarcity of basic supplies and the absence of health professionals. Based on this, I propose a critical reflection on selectivity in the guarantee of fundamental rights, highlighting the urgency of public policies that ensure minimum conditions of dignity in the fulfillment of sentences. I conclude that the violation of the right to health in prison represents a serious deficit of citizenship and demands urgent structural measures.