Abortion in Brazil: legislation, reality and options

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Law

Background:

• Abortion is illegal in Brazil, with exceptions only for rape or to save the woman's life.
• Clandestine abortions pose a significant public health problem in Brazil, exacerbated by inadequate family planning services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a historical overview of legislative efforts concerning abortion in Brazil over the past 60 years.
• To analyze the content of proposed abortion-related bills, identify key stakeholders, and examine the ongoing debate.
• To explore obstacles to reproductive health care and legal abortion access in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary efforts regarding abortion legislation.
• Review of 53 proposed bills and identification of non-governmental stakeholders.
• Examination of the abortion debate in Brazil over recent decades.

Main Results:

• Most politicians avoid the abortion debate, though a majority of 1990s bills favored less restrictive legislation.
• The medical profession's ambivalence and lack of public responsibility for reproductive health by authorities are significant obstacles.
• Incremental legislative and health service changes, alongside advocacy, are crucial for improving women's situations.

Conclusions:

• Addressing clandestine abortion as a public health priority requires improved family planning services.
• Advocacy is essential to foster an environment conducive to legislative and policy changes regarding abortion.
• Public health system solutions must be prioritized to tackle the issue of unsafe abortions in Brazil.