Background: Parto do Princípio is a network of social activists who advocate for active childbirth, created in 2005. The network presents itself through a website (www.partodoprincipio.com.br), a blog (www.partodoprincipio.blogspot.com), the social network Orkut, and support groups that hold free of charge meetings, providing information, creating awareness and supporting women who want to give birth actively. These actions aim at spreading evidence based information from the Cochrane Collaboration as well as World Health Organizationás recommendations. One of the organizations main focuses is to follow the enforcement of the so called 'Companion Law’, which should entitle every Brazilian woman the right of the companion of her choice before, during and after childbirth.

Objectives: To demand law enforcement. Action: Taking into account a Cochrane systematic review named Continuous support for women during childbirth by Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C, Weston J, Parto do Princípio started a civil action with the Federal Attorney Office to inform against systematic violation of the federal law, in effect in Brazil since 2005, that should give laboring women the right to have an accompanying person of her choice during labor, childbirth and postpartum in any Brazilian hospital.

Conclusions: Active childbirth activism can rely on several Cochrane systematic reviews in order to find background for demands in consumer advocacy issues.