A bill threatening to further restrict abortion rights in Brazil has been removed from the political agenda, thanks to mobilization from feminist groups.
The Statute of the Unborn Child proposes to criminalize abortion completely, claiming that there is a right to life from conception. It would seek to remove existing provisions for legal abortion, including for those who have become pregnant as a result of rape, or where the pregnancy is not viable.
The bill was removed from the agenda of the Committee on Women’s Rights on 15 December 2022, meaning that it can only return for discussion next year when activists have had time to organise further on its removal.
SAAF grantee partner Anis is quoted in this article:
“It’s a feminist, health and human rights victory!
Forcing girls, women and pregnant people to continue a pregnancy that results from rape, is incompatible with life or that puts the life of pregnant women at risk is torture.”
Anis – Instituto de Bioética