Reference hospital in São Paulo stops carrying out “legal abortion”

O Municipal Hospital and Maternity of Vila Nova Cachoeirinha, in the north of São Paulo, interrupted legal abortion procedures at the unit, considered a reference in the procedure throughout the country. A Municipal Health Secretariat said that the procedure “has been temporarily suspended”.

In a note sent to People’s Gazette, the City of São Paulo informed that “the stoppage of the service is so that elective surgeries, surgical joint efforts and other procedures involving women’s health can be carried out on site”.

The secretariat clarifies that it still has four hospitals that perform legal abortion in the city of São Paulo. According to the Penal Code, abortion is legal in Brazil in three cases: when the woman is a victim of rape, risk to the mother’s life and in situations of anencephalic babies.

The Specialized Center for the Promotion and Defense of Women’s Rights (Nudem) of the Public Defender’s Office opened a case against the State of São Paulo for not facilitating legal abortion or providing the necessary clarifications. Now, you must also activate the management of Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB).

The defender’s office sent a letter to the municipal secretary of Health, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, asking for clarification. The agency also says that “the absence of medical support for users may represent a violation of their rights to dignity, sexual and reproductive health.”

Public defender sues Government of SP for not facilitating legal abortion

The Public Defender’s Office filed a public civil action against the Government of São Paulo for making legal abortion difficult. According to the agency, public hospitals in the state that should offer legal abortion services do not perform the procedure in cases of pregnancy above 22 weeks as provided by law.

According to the action, 10 of 12 hospitals that perform abortions in the state were visited by Nudem from the public defender’s office, which found no information about the procedure. The document that was filed on October 10 requests a fine of R$10,000 per day for the Department of Health.

In a note sent to the People’s Gazette, the São Paulo State Health Department responded that the number of abortions had increased compared to previous years. “The Department of Health informs that it is awaiting the processing of the action by the Public Defender’s Office. According to data available until July this year, the monthly average of procedures performed in 2023 is 31 cases, compared to 29 in 2022 and 25 in 2021”.