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Brazilians Remain Opposed to Abortion
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most adults in Brazil believe their country’s regulations regarding pregnancy termination are adequate, according to a poll by Datafolha released by Folha de Sao Paulo. 68 per cent of respondents believe the current abortion law should not be modified.
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 Brazil’s socialist-leaning president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva 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.
Earlier this month, Brazilian Feminist Network secretary Telia Negrao claimed that an attempt to decriminalize abortion in Brazil in 2005 failed "due to the intense pressure of conservative sectors", adding, "The measures that the government has undertaken to help women are not yet having a significant impact on their lives."
Polling Data
What is your opinion on abortion?
|
Mar. 2008 |
Mar. 2007 |
Aug. 2006 |
|
|
The current law should not be modified |
68% |
65% |
63% |
|
The current law should be altered to |
14% |
16% |
17% |
|
Abortion should be decriminalized |
11% |
10% |
11% |
|
Not sure |
7% |
5% |
9% |
Source: Datafolha / Folha de Sao Paulo
Methodology: Interviews with 4,044 Brazilian adults, conducted on Mar. 25 and Mar. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 2 per cent.