Lula government withdraws Brazil from international declaration against abortion

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced, this Tuesday (17), that Brazil is no longer part of the international agreement of the Geneva Consensus, in defense of life, women’s health, strengthening of the family and sovereignty of each nation in global politics. The agreement had been made in October 2020, in the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

At the time the agreement was signed, former Chancellor Ernesto Araújo recorded a video defending “the centrality of the family as a fundamental unit of society” and the rejection of abortion as a method of family planning. “We categorically reject abortion as a method of family planning, as well as any initiative in favor of an international right to abortion, or that insinuates this right, even if veiled”, said Araújo.

The current PT government has been giving clear signs of an attempt to legalize abortion in the country. To justify Brazil’s withdrawal from the pro-life agreement, the Ministries of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC); of the women; Health and Foreign Affairs issued an official position.

In a joint note, the ministries informed that the text of the agreement in Geneva “contains a limiting understanding of sexual and reproductive rights and the concept of family and may compromise the full implementation of national legislation on the matter, including the principles of SUS”.

The PT government decided to promote “the effective and comprehensive guarantee of women’s health, in line with the provisions of national legislation”, in addition to respecting what they call “different family configurations”.

What does the Geneva Consensus say?

The “Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family” completed two years in November last year. The signatories agreed to “reaffirm” the human rights of women as “an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms” and the “inherent dignity and worth of the human person”. women safely through pregnancy and childbirth and giving couples a better chance of having a healthy child.”

The signatories also state that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning” and that “any abortion-related measures or changes in the health care system can only be determined at the national or local level in accordance with the national legislative process. They also point out that “there is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion”.

Signatories to the Declaration include: United States, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Uganda, Saudi Arabia; Belarus; Democratic Republic of Congo; Haiti; Iraq; Kuwait; Pakistan; Senegal; Arab Emirates, among others.