Proposal to Ban Abortion in Brazil, Even in Legally Permitted Cases, Advances

There were 35 votes in favor and 15 against in the committee; government advised against it

Nov.27.2024 4:34PM

The Constitution and Justice Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved this Wednesday (27) a PEC (proposed constitutional amendment) aiming to ban abortion in Brazil, under protest from left-wing parliamentarians.



BRASILIA, DF, BRASIL - 19/06/2024: Women protest against the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, and against PL 1904, which restricts women's access to legal abortion. (FOTO: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress, FOLHA) - Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress



The vote was 35 in favor and 15 against. The government advised against it. The committee session had to be interrupted for about 50 minutes after a group of women entered the plenary to protest. There were initial scuffles and heated exchanges between right-wing and left-wing deputies.

Presented in 2012, the PEC was authored by Eduardo Cunha, former president of the Chamber. The text proposes an amendment to Article 5 of the Constitution, which addresses citizens' fundamental rights, including the inviolability of the right to life "from conception."

Currently, abortion in Brazil is permitted in three cases: pregnancy resulting from rape, risk to the woman's life, and fetal anencephaly. With the PEC's text, the ban would also apply in these cases.

With its approval in the Constitution and Justice Commission, it is now up to the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, to create a special committee to debate the text.

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/scienceandhealth/2024/11/proposal-to-ban-abortion-in-brazil-even-in-legally-permitted-cases-advances.shtml