Demonstrations against abortion are marked by criticism of judicial activism

The demonstrations against abortion, held this Thursday (12), were marked by criticism of the judicial activism of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in relation to abortion. Before leaving the presidency, then minister Rosa Weber voted in favor of the action that decriminalizes abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

The acts were recorded in several cities across the country and were attended by opposition parliamentarians and leaders of pro-life movements, such as Marcha da Família, Rede Nacional em Defesa da Vida e da Família and Nas Ruas.

Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) participated in the event in Fortaleza and told the People’s Gazette that this Thursday’s demonstration symbolized the return of the right to the streets. He also reported that the people celebrated the approval of the PEC that limits monocratic decisions in the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ).

“There was a celebration of the Senate, which is rising up to defend its competence, its prerogatives, in the face of the abuses of a political STF, a STF that practices ideological militancy. The Brazilian showed here in Ceará, and in other cities too, that he does not accept this. It was a very beautiful event and represents the people back on the streets”, said the senator.

Representing the March for the Family in Sergipe, the national coordinator of the National Network in Defense of Life and the Family Lúcio Flávio Rocha stated that the decision by the president of the STF, minister Luís Roberto Barroso, to postpone the judgment of ADPF 442 was the result of pressure popular.

“Initially, we planned a demonstration in defense of children’s lives and against abortion for the 26 capitals and we were not going to do it in Brasília. It had been a prudent decision. But the March grew a lot, took shape, and gained a lot of support – both from cities and movements. What was only planned for the 26 capitals exploded into almost 100 mapped cities and many others that were beyond our control. It was exactly this popular movement that made the STF itself rethink the agenda. And this is already an incredible result: the STF understood the people’s message even before we hit the streets today”, said Rocha.

In São Paulo, on Avenida Paulista, state deputy Tomé Abduch (Republicanos-SP) stated that society does not accept the legalization of abortion and questioned the competence of Supreme Court ministers in deciding the matter in the Judiciary. “You elected federal deputies and senators to be the people who represent you up there, in the federal government. Why should these important issues be voted on by the Federal Supreme Court? There is no reason for that. That is the first point. And we are not here to attack the Federal Supreme Court, to attack an individual, but rather so that we can enforce our Constitution. And our Constitution is clear: it is deputies and senators who represent the vote of each of you in these guidelines”, said Abduch.

In Aracaju, federal deputy Rodrigo Valadares (União-SE) went against the guidance of the Marcha da Família, the main organizer of the event, to avoid political statements, and criticized the STF and the Senate. In the parliamentarian’s view, the two institutions would be “sponsoring” abortion in the country.

Participating in the demonstrations in Vila Velha (ES), senator Magno Malta (PL-ES) explained that the STF’s intervention in Legislative issues made the country’s political situation regrettable. “Judicial activism has placed us in the unfortunate situation of the Judiciary Branch taking over the prerogatives of the Legislative Branch. They are making decisions on issues such as abortion and the decriminalization of drugs, and it seems that other equally sensitive issues will not be excluded. They seem to forget or simply ignore that Brazil is a majority Christian nation. The desires and values ​​of our population are contrary to those being imposed. These are individuals who were not directly elected by vote, but are making decisions that affect the future of more than 200 million people “, said the senator.

Last weekend, the “Walk for Life and Against Abortion” already brought together protesters in several cities across the country. Despite the turnout for this Thursday’s events, some coordinators reported that they expected a larger audience.

Defense of Israel was also on the agenda of the demonstrations

In addition to protesting against abortion, participants carried Israeli flags, in honor of the victims of attacks carried out by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in recent days. The topic gained strength in conservative networks after the PT, MST and other left-wing organizations defended the terrorists.

“The March for Life is the valorization and reinforcement of all the agendas of the Conservative Right: God, Country, Family and Freedom. In today’s demonstration we highlight one of these pillars, which is inserted in the context of the family. In other words, the right to life from its conception. And this act also represented our return to the streets. This demonstration against the legalization of abortion went further. We take the opportunity to repudiate Hamas’ atrocities against Israel and show solidarity with all the victims of terror”, said federal deputy Luciano Zucco (Republicanos-RS). The parliamentarian participated in the event in Porto Alegre (RS).

Demonstration against abortion adds to pressure from Congress on the STF

On September 29, one day after assuming the presidency of the Supreme Court, Barroso stated that the debate on the decriminalization of abortion was not “mature” and defended that the topic should also be discussed by the Legislative Branch. Despite the movement, the mobilization of conservative parliamentarians due to Rosa Weber’s vote had already begun and was added to other issues: such as the overturn of the Marco Temporal and the possibility of decriminalization of marijuana possession by the Court.

Behind the scenes in Congress, the expectation is that the new president of the Supreme Court will avoid putting abortion on the agenda for a long time so as not to generate more friction with the Senate leadership. However, the movement to try to contain the STF’s interference in the Legislature is seen as a consensus between government and opposition parliamentarians.