Conservative political rhetoric and associated enduring threat to constitutional right to abortion—A case study from Brazil

Abstract

Abortion is a critical public issue in Brazil where over 800,000 abortions might occur each year, with approximately 250,000 admitted to emergency departments due to complications from unsafe procedures. A new bill seeks to amend the Brazilian Penal Code (Código de Processo Penal), classifying the practice as a felony for patients over 22 gestational weeks, even in cases where the practice is already legally foreseen (e.g., derived from sexual abuse, as an attempt to save pregnant individuals at high risk or due to fetuses’ anencephaly). This bill undermines several Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by the United Nations, particularly those related to health (Goal 3), gender equality (Goal 5), and inequality and poverty reduction (Goal 10). Among the extensive list of potential solutions to the abortion challenge that Brazil currently faces, a feasible and plausible alternative relates to investment in education, in particular sexual education aimed at adolescents.