Justice minister: abortion in microcephaly cases not debated by government

Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo said Friday (Feb. 19) that the Brazilian government is not discussing extending the right to an abortion to cases microcephaly in newborns.

“This is a discussion which I honestly think is too incipient in the government. I won't speak on behalf of the government,” the minister said in Rio de Janeiro.

The UN has urged countries facing an outbreak of the Zika virus to allow women to have an abortion in such cases. Within a month, the Commission on the Status of Women (CWN) is expected to gather and demand changes in the position adopted by the countries on the topic, as the virus is mentioned as one of the causes of microcephaly in newborns, a congenital malformation. The main argument is that microcephaly has affected families living in poor areas, where women cannot choose to interrupt their pregnancies safely or seek sexual and reproductive advice.

“I've got my own personal convictions, but here I speak as the government, and the government has not taken a stand on the matter,” Cardozo declared, after taking part in a test event for the Olympics in the Barra da Tijuca district.

Cardozo said, however, that if the Supreme Court approves the abortion of fetuses with microcephaly, it will be up to the government to accept the decision. He went on to mention that human and women's rights organizations have stated they will appeal to the court. Anthropologist Debora Diniz, from the Anis Bioethics Institute, in charge of the motion, argues that the State has failed to protect women from Zika, and that they should not be penalized as a result of “unsuccessful public policies.”

Organizations such as the Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), linked to the Catholic Church, oppose extending the right to an abortion under any circumstances. This week, Pope Francis, in reference to the Zika epidemic, admitted that the use of contraceptive methods is a “lesser evil” compared to the cases of babies born with microcephaly tied to the Zika virus. He noted that, in the 60's, during the Belgian Congo War, Pope Paul VI allowed nuns to take birth control pills and avoid undesired pregnancies that may arise as a result of rape in conflict zones.

In Brazil, interrupted pregnancies are only allowed in cases of rape, risks posed to the women's life, and, since 2012, in cases of anencephalous (brainless) fetuses. Unsafe abortions, carried out without proper medical care, rank fifth among the most common causes of maternal death in Brazil.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

Relacionadas

Mosquito can't beat 204 million people, Rousseff says

Schools hold national Zika campaign day