Sao Paulo, Brazil protests. (Shutterstock/Will Rodrigues)
Brazilian protesters took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo Monday wearing war paint and chanting loudly to protest a proposed ban on abortions in the country.
“Our bodies are ours!” the crowds yelled, after which some protesters engaged the police in a small physical altercation resulting in tear gas, according to the Associated Press. Other protesters carried “Secular uterus” signs and “I don’t deserve to bear the child of my rapist” banners, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Brazilian women protest TOPLESS through streets – sparking riot #Brazil #abortion #SaoPaulo #RiodeJaneiro https://t.co/mlNMHVJuWt pic.twitter.com/964zaIdYl8
— Daily Star (@Daily_Star) November 14, 2017
Brazilian Women prepare to protest further restrictions on reproductive rights. More heartless legislation from Temer's coup government https://t.co/P9SNTnVSwr #ForaTemer #Brazil
— No coup in Brazil (@nocoupinBrazil) November 14, 2017
I'm in São Paulo and ran into this protest against a proposed constitutional amendment that would make abortion illegal even in cases of rape pic.twitter.com/JbSxqT95Dg
— Alex Cuadros (@alexcuadros) November 13, 2017
The protests come after a special committee gathered last week to vote 18-1 vote to ban all abortions, Reuters reported. Abortion is illegal in Brazil, except in cases of rape, where the mother’s life is in danger and if the fetus has anencephaly — a condition where the baby is born missing part of the brain and dies shortly thereafter. Women who have abortions face up to three years in prison, while doctors who perform abortions can receive four years.
“Criminal penalties for abortion deny pregnant women and girls the right to make deeply personal decisions about their health and lives, and threaten a wide range of human rights,” said Human Rights Watch Americas director José Miguel Vivanco, after the group filed amicus briefs in two cases arguing that the court should decriminalize abortion.
Ref.: http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/14/thousands-of-brazilians-protest-proposed-abortion-ban-photos/
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A woman with the word “Legalize” painted on her mouth marches against a recent congressional committee vote to make abortion illegal without exception nationwide, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Abortion is currently allowed in cases of rape, a pregnancy that threatens a woman’s life or a fetus with anencephaly, but the committee adopted a measure that would remove those exceptions. Silvia Izquierdo AP Photo
Women march against a proposal for a total ban on abortions, without exceptions, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. The sign reads in Portuguese: “What is sin for some, can not be a crime for all.” Abortion is currently allowed in cases of rape, a pregnancy that threatens a woman’s life or a fetus with anencephaly, but a congressional committee adopted a measure that would remove those exceptions. Silvia Izquierdo AP Photo
Ref.: http://www.macon.com/news/article184428828.html
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Thousands protest proposal for total abortion ban in Brazil
Thousands protest proposal for total abortion ban in Brazil
A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Portuguese “I won’t have a child from a rapist” during a protest against a recent congressional committee vote to make abortion illegal without exception nationwide, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Abortion is currently allowed in cases of rape, a pregnancy that threatens a woman’s life or a fetus with anencephaly, but the committee adopted a measure that would remove those exceptions. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
RIO DE JANEIRO – Thousands of women marched through the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Monday to protest a recent congressional committee vote to make abortion illegal without exception in Brazil.
Many protesters carried their children in their arms or on their shoulders, shouting: “Our bodies are ours!” Some scuffles broke out between protesters and police when the march reached the Rio state legislature. Police fired tear gas, but calm soon returned.
Abortion is currently allowed in Brazil in cases of rape, a pregnancy that threatens a woman’s life or a fetus with anencephaly, a birth defect involving the brain. But the congressional committee last week adopted a measure that would remove those exceptions, provoking widespread outrage though many Brazilians hold conservative views on abortion.
Rodrigo Maia, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, has said that any ban on abortion without an exception for rape won’t pass his chamber. The measure is part of a constitutional amendment, so it would need a super-majority in both Congress’ lower house and the Senate to become law.
The demonstration in Rio was one of several organized in cities around Brazil on Monday. Women in Rio carried signs reading “Secular uterus” and “I don’t deserve to bear the child of my rapist.” Others called for broader legalization of abortion.
While Brazilian law severely restricts abortion, in practice wealthy women tend to have access to safe procedures in private clinics, while the poor often rely on risky ones. An academic survey partially funded by the Ministry of Health estimated that more than 400,000 women had an abortion in Brazil in 2015.
