Maria Antónia Moreno Areias de Almeida Santos was born on 14 February 1962 in Mozambique, where her parents were stationed.

Her father was António de Almeida Santos, who became a leading figure in the Portuguese Socialist Party and was a former president of the Assembly of the Republic.

She worked directly with Maria Barroso, the wife of Soares, and the role gave her the opportunity to meet many other political personalities of the time.

In the January 2022 election, Almeida Santos was sixth on the PS list for Setúbal, with the party winning ten seats in the constituency and an overall majority nationwide.

[4][5][6] In the Assembly, Almeida Santos became chair of the Health Committee, which, under her tenure, has investigated issues such as euthanasia, abortion, and emergency contraception.