Evangelical bench articulates with Jorge Messias to bar CNS resolution

In the midst of the clash with the federal government, the Evangelical Parliamentary Front of the National Congress is trying to get the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, to be the interlocutor between the demands of the Legislative and the Planalto Palace. The idea of ​​the parliamentarians is that Messias work together with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to bar Resolution 715 of the National Health Council (CNS), which defends abortion and treatment for sex change at 14 years old.

The group demands that Lula maintain the commitments made in the electoral campaign regarding abortion and demands the extinction of CNS resolution 715.

In reserve, a source on the bench claims that the group seeks to dialogue with Messias so that resolution 715 is not approved by the Ministry of Health. As the CNS is only an advisory body, it does not have the power to put the resolution into effect. It is up to the ministry to endorse the measure. The bench’s concern is motivated by recent statements by the director of the portfolio, Nísia Trindade, who has defended abortion and treatment for sex change at 14 years old.

The group also intends to talk with presidents Arthur Lira (PP-AL), of the Chamber, and Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), of the Senate, to pressure the government to maintain the current understanding on abortion.

Messiah’s approach to the evangelical bench

The approximation of the AGU with the evangelical group has been built throughout the year. In the traditional “March for Jesus”, held on June 8, the Minister of Advocacy General of the Union (AGU) was scheduled by Planalto to approach the segment.

“I came here to tell you, at the request of the President, that in Brasilia there are men and women who live for the Kingdom. We are there raised by God to fulfill a purpose. Our people want peace and we will fight for peace. This is the message that the president asked me to bring to you”, said Messias in a speech at the event. Despite the gesture, he was booed by the audience.

Messiah’s participation in the march would be an alleged attempt to bring the government closer to the evangelical electorate, a segment that represented strong opposition to Lula during the election campaign and showed support for former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The resolution that may be endorsed by the PT’s Ministry of Health, however, signals exactly the opposite.

Previously, in the letter to Christians that was presented in October of last year, during the election campaign, Lula had stated that he was against abortion and highlighted that this was an issue that was the responsibility of the National Congress. In addition, he had made a commitment to religious freedom.