Proposals to hinder the release of abortion in the STF are resisted

One of the objectives of the 16th National March for Life, which will take place next Tuesday (20th) in Brasília, is to try to sensitize deputies and senators for the approval of bills that guarantee the rights of unborn children and prevent the legalization of abortion by Federal Supreme Court (STF).

The ADPF 442, a lawsuit brought by PSOL and the Anis Institute, is pending before the court, which asks for the authorization of abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, even against the will of the majority of the population. As it is not the role of the Judiciary to legislate, in normal times the STF should have refused to consider the request and left the issue to the Legislative Power, but it did not. The trial has not yet been scheduled, but pro-life groups fear that the president of the STF and rapporteur for the ADPF, Rosa Weber, will want to rule it before her retirement from the Court, in October of this year.

The solution to judicial activism in this case, which could lead to approval of abortion in Brazil even against the will of the majority of the population, through 11 unelected ministers, is for deputies and senators to approve clearer laws that protect human beings from conception. The problem is that these projects, like the Statute of the Unborn Child, have faced resistance and boycotts in Congress.

“There is very strong pressure from national and international groups in Brazil for the legalization of abortion, even against the will of the vast majority of the Brazilian population, which is against abortion. Today, Brazil is one of the few countries that maintains a firm pro-life position in its Legislature”, says deputy Diego Garcia (Republicanos-PR), president of the Parliamentary Front in Defense of Life and Family.

For years, federal deputies have been trying to approve the Statute of the Unborn Child. The measure is not intended to change current criminal legislation (today abortion is not punished in two cases, when there is a risk to the mother’s life or the pregnancy is the result of rape), but to make it clear that the embryo already has rights to be protected . The text also encourages public policies that help mothers carry the pregnancy to term, even if they do not want to keep the baby. However, since 2017, the proposal has been under analysis by the Committee on Women’s Rights of the Chamber of Deputies, it was almost approved at the end of 2022, but its vote was hampered after aggressive action by the feminist bench.

Projects in favor of abortion and the importance of popular pressure

In the evaluation of deputy Chris Tonietto (PL-RJ), president of the Parliamentary Front Against Abortion, adherence to proposals that guarantee the right to life is greater among parliamentarians. At the same time, other pro-abortion proposals are trying to advance, hence the importance of popular pressure. In March, for example, an urgent request for the vote on bill (PL) 7,559/14, which may facilitate the financing of pro-abortion measures in Brazil, was overturned in the Chamber on Tuesday night.

“The work remains great, since some initiatives, in a sneaky way, using euphemisms, try to open loopholes for abortion in Brazil”, he says. “It is important to demonstrate that the Brazilian people are against the legalization of abortion and that other nefarious initiatives like this one should never prosper”, he warns.

Senator Magno Malta (PL-ES) reinforces that Brazilians need to follow the projects under discussion and their respective procedures in Congress, especially when the proposals attack the right to life. “The active and engaged participation of citizens is essential to influence the position of other parliamentarians and promote legislative changes in line with pro-life values”, says Malta.

Deputy Diego Garcia believes that one of the ways people can put pressure on parliamentarians is to participate in initiatives such as the March for Life, promoted by the Movimento Brasil Sem Aborto. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to bring together pro-lifers across the country. We know that unity makes strength, so we must take advantage of these occasions to show the real desires of the Brazilian people, which is the protection of the family, the appreciation of motherhood and the defense of the life of the mother and the baby”, she says.