Purificação Araújo: key obituary facts
Is Purificação Araújo dead? Yes. Purificação Araújo died on July 22, 2026, at age 99.
Cause of death: Purificação Araújo's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Purificação Araújo known for?
She was a Portuguese obstetrician and gynecologist (1926-2026).
More about Purificação Araújo
Born: 5 November 1926.
Place of birth: Lisbon.
Place of death: Alvalade.
Gender: female.
Occupation: obstetrician-gynecologist.
Nationality: Portugal.
Also known as: Maria da Purificação Araújo.
Occupations: Obstetrician and gynaecologist.
Years active: 70.
Known for: Known as the "mother of family planning" in Portugal.
Purificação Araújo, the Portuguese obstetrician and gynecologist known as the “mother of family planning” in Portugal, died on July 22, 2026, aged 99.
Also known as Maria da Purificação Araújo, she was born in Lisbon on November 5, 1926. A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, she went on to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, including postgraduate study in London.
Araújo later headed the Maternal Health Service of Portugal’s Directorate-General for Health, where she oversaw pregnancy and child health care and the integration of family planning into the country’s new health centres.