In Brazil, an anti-abortion bill is controversial. This project proposes to toughen the legislation which criminalizes the voluntary termination of pregnancy by putting on an equal footing a homicide and an abortion carried out beyond 22 weeks of gestation.
3 mins
With our correspondent in Rio de Janeiro,
Abortion is already illegal in Brazil, except in cases of rape, danger to the life of the mother, or brain abnormality of the fetus. With this project, even “legal” cases could be criminalized. If a woman, a victim of rape, performs an abortion after the 22nd week of gestation, she may be sentenced to a heavier sentence than her rapist. His act will be qualified as homicide, with a penalty of six to twenty years’ imprisonment, double the sentences handed down for rape.
The proposal comes from a right-wing MP from Rio de Janeiro, supported by around thirty male MPs, mostly from the Liberal Party, the party of the former president. Jair Bolsonaro. If approved, this law would bring Brazil closer to countries like Afghanistan or Indonesia in terms of anti-abortion laws.
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Wave of protest
This week, the bill triggered a wave of demonstrations across the country. This Thursday, June 13, demonstrators from the progressive camp took to the streets to denounce what they call “rapist’s bill ”, under the slogan: “ Being a daughter is not being a mother “.
Critics of the project point out that this type of law could particularly weaken children under 14. Because this is precisely the group that may need to resort to an abortion beyond the third semester, because at this age, gestations are more difficult to identify. According to figures from the public health system, between 2012 and 2022, more than 247,000 children, aged 10 to 14, became mothers in Brazil.
Standoff between powers
The project was approved to pass urgently before the Chamber of Deputies, in a lightning vote that lasted nearly 24 seconds. Which means that it will not go through thematic commissions, and will continue its journey directly in plenary session. But this bill also illustrates the standoff between the different powers in Brazil.
On an official trip to Europe, the President Lula spoke briefly on the subject. If he reaffirms being against abortion “ personally “, he judged the bill to be ” madness » and stressed that abortion must be treated as a public health issue. In Brazil, a girl under 13 is raped every fifteen minutes, according to official statistics.
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