Thousands of women on Saturday took to the streets of São Paulo to oppose a legislative bill currently under consideration in Brazil’s Congress intended to further criminalize abortions. Proposed by conservative lawmakers, the bill—if passed—would equate termination after the 22-week mark of pregnancy with homicide, mandating sentences of six to 20 years in prison for individuals found in violation.
Approximately 10,000 protesters, mostly women, congregated on São Paulo’s main Paulista Avenue, carrying banners, posters, and signs expressing their outrage over the bill. They described it as the most repressive approach to women’s reproductive rights in decades in a country where access to abortion is already highly restricted. Under current Brazilian law, abortion is permitted only in cases of rape, fetal deformation, or when the mother’s life is in danger. This new bill would remove the exception for rape victims, classifying terminations after 22 weeks in these instances as homicide as well.
Several protesters wore green clothes or scarves—a color historically associated with women’s rights movements across Latin America—and chanted slogans such as “A child is not a mother, a rapist is not a father.” This slogan has gained traction among feminist groups who argue that the new legislation would have the harshest impact on children abused by family members, who comprised approximately 61.4% of rape victims in 2022, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva called the bill insane and vowed to defend the country’s current law on abortion, which punishes rapists and offers recourse to survivors. First Lady Rosangela da Silva also criticized the bill, urging Congress to ensure access to legal and safe abortions through the national health system.
Following the nationwide protests and public criticism that survivors of rape seeking abortions would face harsher punishments than their rapists, the bill’s author Sostenes Cavalcante stated he would propose harsher sentences for rape. Currently, the penalty for rape in Brazil is six to ten years, escalating to 12 to 30 years if the victim dies as a result.
The bill is currently undergoing treatment in Brazil’s lower chamber but has not yet been distributed to the respective committees, as per the ordinary legislative procedure. However, following an urgent request from Deputy Eli Borges, the bill could be voted on directly by the Plenary.
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