Brazil Abortion Bill : Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Proposed Abortion Bill

Key Points

• Proposed Brazil Abortion Bill: Criminalizes abortions after 22 weeks, equating it with homicide, even in rape cases.
• Current Law: Permits abortions only in cases of rape, risk to the mother’s life, or non-viable fetus.
• Public Response: Massive protests, with significant participation in Sao Paulo and other cities.
• Health Inequality: Late access to abortion disproportionately affects marginalized groups.
• Political Context: Conservative lawmakers push the bill to mobilize Evangelical voters.
• International Trends: Contrasts with recent progressive shifts in abortion laws in other Latin American countries.

Sao Paulo (AP) – On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sao Paulo as protests swept across Brazil against a proposed bill that would further criminalise abortions. If passed, this law would equate the termination of a pregnancy after 22 weeks with homicide, even in cases of rape.

The Controversial Bill and Its Implications

The bill, proposed by conservative lawmakers and heading for a vote in the lower house, has sparked widespread outrage. Critics argue that this law would predominantly affect child rape victims, as their pregnancies are often detected later. Brazil’s current law permits abortions only in cases of rape, if there’s an evident risk to the mother’s life, or if the fetus has no functioning brain. Outside these exceptions, women who end their pregnancies face one to three years in jail.

If the new bill becomes law, the penalty for abortions performed after 22 weeks would increase to between six and 20 years. Critics highlight that this could lead to a scenario where convicted rapists receive lesser sentences than the women who are their victims.

Public Outcry and Demonstrations

In response, rights groups have mobilized under the banner ‘A child is not a mother.’ This campaign has taken social media by storm and been highly visible during protests. Demonstrators, many clad in green clothing and scarves—a symbol of women’s rights movements across Latin America—carried placards, stickers, and banners with the campaign slogan.

Saturday’s protest in Sao Paulo, which organizers estimated drew about 10,000 people, marked the largest demonstration yet, following earlier protests in cities like Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Florianopolis, Recife, and Manaus. Marli Gavioli, 65, who has rarely protested since the 1980s, said she felt compelled to join the demonstration. “We are being whipped from all sides, us women. It’s past time we do something,” she said.

Broader Context and International Reactions

The proposed legislation reflects deep-seated inequalities in healthcare, particularly affecting children, poor women, Black women, and those in rural areas. Talita Rodrigues, a member of the National Front against the Criminalization of Women and for the Legalization of Abortion, emphasized the injustice of punishing rape victims who lack support and care.

Conservative lawmakers supporting the bill—dubbed ‘the rape caucus’ by protesters—are accused of using this issue to galvanize support from Evangelical voters ahead of October’s municipal elections. Abortion remains a highly contentious issue in Brazil, a predominantly Christian nation. Fernanda Barros dos Santos, a political scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, explained that the bill puts progressive politicians in a difficult position, risking votes by defending abortion rights.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government has been courting Evangelicals, a crucial voting bloc for former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election. Lula’s wife, First Lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, criticized the bill on social media, stressing the need to protect women and girls who are rape victims. Lula himself, speaking at the G7 summit in Italy, called for treating abortion as a public health issue, condemning the bill’s harsh penalties.

A Regional Perspective and Global Relevance

Latin America, predominantly Roman Catholic, has seen significant advances in abortion rights in recent years. Colombia’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion in 2022, following similar rulings in Mexico. Argentina’s Congress legalized abortion in 2020, and Chile relaxed its strict ban. In contrast, Brazil remains stringent in its abortion laws, despite a top court session on decriminalization in September.

In the U.S., the Supreme Court recently preserved access to a medication used in the majority of abortions, reflecting ongoing debates about abortion rights.

Voices from the Protest

At the Sao Paulo protest, 27-year-old English teacher Eduarda Isnoldo expressed her distress. “When you realize that your rights can be taken away so easily, it’s impossible to stay quiet,” she said through tears.