The Brazilian Supreme Court began analyzing on Friday September 22 an appeal calling for the decriminalization in the country of abortion up to the 12th week. This vote dominates the public debate in Brazil, where abortion is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment, except in cases of sexual assault, danger to the life of the mother and when the fetus is anencephalic. Judge Rosa Weber, the first to vote, has already ruled in favor of decriminalization.
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With our correspondent in Rio de Janeiro, Sarah Cozzolino
“ We have been silenced », declared Rosa Weber: the judge of the Supreme Court argued her vote in favor of the decriminalization of abortion on 103 pages. She stressed that the ban is not effective, in a country where one in seven women have already had an abortion, and that preventive measures would be more suitable instead of a ban, such as sex education.
Because in Brazil, the majority of women who have illegal abortions are under 19, and those who suffer complications are often black or indigenous.
This vote is hope for feminists and the Brazilian left in a very religious country, where evangelical churches have political weight. According to a recent survey by the Datafolha institute, 52% of Brazilians are opposed to the authorization of voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG).
This is only permitted under rare exceptions: in the event of rape, risk for the mother or if the fetus is brainless.
Voting on the Supreme Court, made up of eleven judges including only two women, was interrupted shortly after it began and must resume at a later date. But feminist associations are more mobilized than ever: they intend to take advantage of this debate to raise awareness among Brazilians.
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