Women In Brazil Are Protesting A Bill That Would Jail People For Having A Late Abortion
The bill, backed by right-wing parties and conservative lawmakers, would define abortions performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy as “homicide”, which is the killing of another person.
Thousands of women in Brazil are protesting against a bill that would jail people for up to 20 years for getting a late abortion.
Demonstrators protest against bill 1904/2024 that would equate abortion carried out in Brazil after 22 weeks of pregnancy with the crime of murder, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 23, 2024.
The bill, backed by right-wing parties and conservative lawmakers, would define abortions performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy as “homicide”, which is the killing of another person.
Several women are participating in a demonstration against the bill that equates abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide, on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 27, 2024. Hundreds of people are attending a demonstration in Sao Paulo to demand that the country's Congress definitively shelve the controversial bill that equates abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide. (Photo by Cris Faga/NurPhoto)
People who are found guilty would face jail sentences of six to 20 years.
People attend a protest against an anti-abortion bill under evaluation at the Brazilian National Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 15, 2024. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)
This even applies to people who get an abortion after they were raped.
Demonstrators protest against bill 1904/2024 that would equate abortion carried out in Brazil after 22 weeks of pregnancy with the crime of murder, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 23, 2024.
Under the current law, abortion is allowed in cases of rape or when the woman's life is at risk, or if the fetus has a brain abnormality.
A woman attends a protest against an anti-abortion bill under evaluation at the Brazilian National Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 13, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
However, outside of these circumstances, having an abortion in Brazil can lead to four years in prison.
A woman holds a placard that reads "Legal abortion now" during a protest against an anti-abortion bill under evaluation at the Brazilian National Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 15, 2024. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)
The new bill caused outrage, especially among women’s rights groups, who pointed out that rape victims would face harsher jail sentences than their rapists, who face up to 10 years.
A woman attends a protest against an anti-abortion bill under evaluation at the Brazilian National Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 13, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
Protesters say that the bill would unfairly impact girls who have been raped, because child pregnancies are typically detected later, as well as Black women and those living in rural areas without equal access to healthcare.
Several women participate in a demonstration against the bill that equates abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide, on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil. via Getty Images
More than 10,000 people took to the streets in Brazil, on June 15, chanting “a child is not a mother, a rapist is not a father”.
People attend a protest against an anti-abortion bill under evaluation at the Brazilian National Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 15, 2024. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)
The President Lula da Silva and his left-wing party have strongly opposed the bill, calling it "insane."
Demonstrators protest against bill 1904/2024 that would equate abortion carried out in Brazil after 22 weeks of pregnancy with the crime of murder, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 23, 2024.
The bill is unlikely to pass in the upper house of congress due to weaker representation of right-wing parties there.
São Paulo SP Brazil June 15 2024 People protest against bill 1904/2024 that would equate abortion carried out in Brazil after 22 weeks of pregnancy with the crime of murder, in Sao Paulo, Brazil (via Getty Images)Demonstrators protest against bill 1904/2024 that would equate abortion carried out in Brazil after 22 weeks of pregnancy with the crime of murder, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 23, 2024.
Kassy Cho
