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Brazilians Want to Keep Abortion as Crime
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - About two-thirds of Brazilians would reject a change in the South American country's pregnancy termination guidelines, according to a poll by Datafolha published in Folha de Sao Paulo. 65 per cent of respondents say the current legislation that criminalizes abortion should not be changed.
On the other hand, 16 per cent of respondents would support a change allowing abortion in more cases, and 10 per cent believe the procedure should be decriminalized altogether.
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.
Earlier this month, Brazilian health minister Jose Gomes Temporao voiced support for a referendum in order to amend existing abortion guidelines. Gomes Temporao said he considers abortion as a "matter of public health" rather than a "religious debate." The minister stated that close to 200,000 Brazilian women have to seek medical treatment following unlawful abortions every year, adding, "From the public health standpoint, I am in favour of legalization."
Polling Data
What is your opinion on abortion?
Mar. 2007 | Aug. 2006 | |
The current law should not be modified | 65% | 63% |
The current law should be altered to | 16% | 17% |
Abortion should be decriminalized | 10% | 11% |
Not sure | 5% | 9% |
Source: Datafolha / Folha de Sao Paulo
Methodology: Interviews with 5,700 Brazilian adults, conducted on Mar. 19 and Mar. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 2 per cent.
