(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – About three quarters of people in Brazil are against abortion, according to a poll by Instituto Sensus. 73.5 per cent of respondents share this view, while 22.7 per cent are in favour of this practice.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – About three quarters of people in Brazil are against abortion, according to a poll by Instituto Sensus. 73.5 per cent of respondents share this view, while 22.7 per cent are in favour of this practice.
Brazil’s penal code has typified abortion as a crime since 1940. The procedure is only permitted when a pregnancy is the result of a rape, or when the woman’s life is endangered. Approximately 80 per cent of Brazilians are baptized Roman Catholics.
Some policies of Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva—a member of the left-leaning Worker’s Party (PT)—have focused on sexual health and birth control. In June 2007, Brazilian health minister Jose Gomes Temporao announced the government’s plan to distribute free morning-after pills—which can be administered within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse to prevent a pregnancy—to poor women.
On Jan. 30, the government deleted a clause from a proposed amendment to the country’s Human Rights Code, which stated that abortion is a basic human right for women. Brazilian human rights minister Paulo Vannucchi apologized for including the controversial clause in the reforms, saying, "I acknowledge this was my mistake. The defence of abortion in the text is based on the right of women to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies. It is a proposal coming from the feminist movement, but it does not reflect Lula’s opinions [on abortion]."
Polling Data
People in Brazil hold differing views on some controversial issues. As I go through this list, tell me if you’re in favour or against each one. – Abortion.
|
|
Jan. 2010
|
Jan. 2001
|
|
In favour
|
22.7%
|
17.7%
|
|
Against
|
73.5%
|
78.9%
|
|
Not sure
|
3.8%
|
3.4%
|
Source: Instituto Sensus
Methodology: Interviews with 2,000 Brazilian adults, conducted from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
