Erotic dancing at a Health event was completely wrong, says minister

When providing clarifications at a joint Senate hearing between the Social Affairs (CAS) and Human Rights (CDH) committees this Wednesday (25), the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, said that the erotic dance performance, at an event of the ministry held at the beginning of October, was “totally mistaken and out of context”.

After the negative repercussion, the ministry even dismissed the director of the Department of Prevention and Health Promotion, Andrey Lemos, responsible for organizing the event, which had a total cost of R$1 million.

At the hearing, Senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) questioned Nísia about the costs and feasibility of creating a “curatorship for organizing official events” in the department after the event with the controversial dance.

“The first health promotion event that brought together managers from all states, regardless of whether they were government or opposition, everyone was there to affirm and defend the health promotion policy. This was the philosophy of the event, but it was a diversity event and space was given to a completely mistaken demonstration, completely out of context for a Ministry of Health event”, stated the minister.

Among other questions, Damares also asked the minister if presenter Xuxa Meneghel received any payment or resources from the government to participate in the vaccination campaign. Nísia said that the presenter “carried out the entire campaign in defense of vaccination for free”.

At the opening of her speech, the minister presented the department’s goals and guidelines and stated that, at the beginning of her administration, a “progressive drop in health investments in recent years” was detected. She also thanked parliamentarians for approving the PEC, “which allowed the budget for government programs to be restored”.

Senators demand minister on abortion and promises in Lula’s “Letter to Christians”

Known for her pro-abortion stances, Nísia stated that “defending life, at this moment, means a strong mobilization around the vaccine with the care of our children”.

One of the requests made by the senators cites the recognition, by the health ministry, of “cultural manifestations of religions of African origin and their territorial units, such as temples and religious houses, as health-promoting and healing equipment complementary to the Unified Health System”.

According to the minister, religion would be considered “in the process of promoting health and the first gateway for those who needed it most and as a space for healing mental, psychological, social and nutritional imbalances”. On this topic, she said that her position was “out of respect” for different religious beliefs.

“At this time, I would also like to make an appeal to Christians. Yesterday I even counted on CNBB [Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil] in our [evento] Health and Consciousness, so that we can actually defend life and defending life at this moment means a strong mobilization around the vaccine with the care of our children, the fight against violence in schools. I would like to count on you to use the same vehemence as you do this inquiry to me, to use the same vehemence to defend life, health and peace in schools”, he highlighted.

Senator Jorge Seif (PL-SC) questioned the minister about Resolution 715/2023, which provides for the review of the National LGBT Comprehensive Health Policy to update protocols and reduce the age at which hormone treatment starts to 14 years and “intersectorality in actions of health to combat structural and historical inequalities, with the expansion of social and income transfer policies, with the legalization of abortion and the legalization of marijuana in Brazil”.

For the senator, these initiatives go against the commitment made by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the letter addressed to Christians during the campaign. Nísia avoided commenting on the letter to Christians.

“The resolution [715] it was a resolution of the 17th National Health Conference, it is not a document from the Ministry of Health… With regard to abortion and drug policy, we follow the legislation, we reiterate the word of the President of the Republic, that these matters must be discussed by the Power Legislative, but at the same time as those responsible for public health, we see service and care for people from a health perspective as our role. This is our position”, stated Nísia Trindade.

Seif pointed out that the federal government could hide behind advice to usurp the Legislative’s competence on issues such as abortion and drugs. Senator Flávio Arns (PSB-PR) told the minister that “as long as we do not have a strong affirmation that ‘the right to life is sacred from conception until necessary’ we will always have, Madam Minister, the impression that the Ministry of Health agrees with the possibility of abortion, there must be a clear definition”.

“I reiterate here that I not only follow the programmatic guidelines of our government, but strictly what the legislation, therefore, approved in this house defines on the matters at hand. I defend the right to life, I defend the right to a full life. Regarding controversial topics, abortion and drug legalization, I conduct myself at the Ministry of Health in strict compliance with what defines Brazilian legislation”, replied the minister.

Questioned by Senator Magno Malta (PL-ES) about the role of religions in health, the minister stated that “all religions can contribute to the promotion of health and that is what we hope for in our relationship with society”.

Minister says she is against the Plasma PEC

Earlier this month, the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) approved the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) 10/2022 that allows the commercialization of blood plasma. The text still needs to be analyzed by the plenary. The minister defended that the proposal should not be approved and stated that the Federal Constitution already determines the criteria for donating blood safely with the prohibition of the sale of organs and blood products.

“At this time when the Senate is discussing the so-called Plasma PEC, which I usually say is a ‘Blood PEC’, because it calls into question what Brazil has managed to advance since the 1988 Constitution, when the commercialization of blood and bodies was prohibited by the Constitution. We cannot go back in this aspect,” he stated.

The minister argued that with the current rule it is possible to guarantee the population access to blood transfusions and blood products. “Mainly, we cannot put at risk the commercialization of plasma, blood donation, blood transfusion as a right provided for in our Unified Health System,” she stated.

The invitation to the minister met four requests presented by several senators. Among them, the presidents of CAS and CDH, senators Humberto Costa (PT-PE) and Paulo Paim (PT-RS), respectively; and senators Magno Malta (PL-ES), Cleitinho (Republicanos-MG), Alan Rick (União-AC), Dr. Hiran (PP-RR) and Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF), among others.