Maternity behind and beyond bars: analysis from the perspective of protection bioethics.

Objective: to analyze how motherhood is expressed in female prison units from the perspective of Bioethics of Protection.

Method: qualitative research with an ethnographic approach, developed in two women's prison units. Participantes were: six mothers deprived of liberty, 15 health professionals, and nine prison officers. For data collection, semi-structured interviews and descriptive observation were used. Data analysis was based on the Content Analysis technique, thematic category.

Results: three categories emerged: women and children violated behind bars (inequities); mothers and children in prison exacerbating imbalances, tensions and conflicts; and limits and references for resocialization.

Final Considerations: the Bioethics of Protection proposal appears as a valid tool for the analytical direction of the process of confronting issues in the scope of public health in prison units, considering vulnerable groups and aiming at equity and human dignity.