Thousands in Brazil protest against bill equating abortion after 22 weeks with homicide

NEWS WIRES

June 16, 2024 at 1:12 a.m.·1 min read

Thousands of women protested on Saturday against a bill advancing in Brazil's conservative Congress that would equate abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide and establish sentences of six to 20 years in prison.

The demonstrators marched along Sao Paulo's main Paulista Avenue carrying banners rejecting the proposal, which they call the most repressive approach to women's reproductive rights in decades.

People of all ages, including many retirees and children, filled the streets chanting, "A child is not a mother, a rapist is not a father."

Abortion is allowed in Brazil only in cases of rape, fetal deformation or when the mother's life is in danger. If the bill backed by evangelical lawmakers becomes law, abortions by rape victims would be considered homicide after 22 weeks gestation.

Feminist groups criticized the proposed legislation for imposing harsher penalties than those given to rapists in Brazil.

They also argue that the changes would greatly impact children abused by family members. Such children, often lacking the understanding or support to recognize themselves as crime victims, frequently discover their pregnancies late.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the bill "insane" and said his government will defend the current laws that punish rapists and treat their victims with respect.

(Reuters)

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