117Neoliberal Paternal Authoritarianism and Obstetric Violence in Turkey: Vulnerability and Resilience in Routine Episiotomies

This chapter discusses a distinct form of obstetric violence emerging in the context of neoliberal paternal authoritarianism, which not only threatens women's claims for autonomy about their reproductive rights but also targets doctors' authority through economic, legal and reputational risks in contemporary Turkey.Medical interventions, especially episiotomies, are routinized for a riskfree and efficient birth, creating high vulnerability to obstetric violence.This chapter argues that contestations in the medical field can be a historical opportunity for women to claim autonomy and respect, not as patients, clients or mothers, but as the central actors in birth in this era.A detailed analysis is offered on how they narrate their prenatal care experiences as an ongoing negotiation with their physicians and how they generate selfsupport mechanisms by mobilizing medical, familial and market resources.The chapter discusses the possible effects of their attempts to build resi lience against the contextspecific vulnerabilities to obstetric violence.