Correspondent Brian Mier from Recife, Brazil reports on this attempt by far right congressmen to pass a law which would give longer prison sentences to women who have abortions than to rapists, which have triggered nationwide protests. Three quarters of the population opposes this bill. teleSUR
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00:00In Brazil, an attempt by five right congressmen to pass a law which would give longer prison sentences to women who have abortions than to rapists has triggered nationwide protests.
00:12Our correspondent Brian Meyer has more.
00:15For the past two weeks, women have been taking it to the streets across Brazil to protest Bill 1904,
00:21drafted by members of the Evangelical Caucus and fast-tracked by Congressional President Arthur Lira on June 12th.
00:28If ratified, women who get abortions, including in cases of rape, would face prison sentences of up to 24 years,
00:36in a legal context in which rapists face a maximum sentence of only 12 years.
00:45Criminalization of abortion is a form of gender discrimination.
00:49It is a crime that can be only attributed to women, even when a man has a direct relationship with an abortion.
00:56For example, in the case of parents making their daughters get abortions, husbands making their wives get abortions,
01:03or, primarily, the case of married men making their lovers get abortions.
01:08There is no crime that can be attributed to these men in our legal system.
01:13In the first four months of 2023 alone, over 17,000 children and adolescents suffered sexual violence in Brazil,
01:21with the average age of the victims ranging from 10 to 14.
01:25Rape victims are one of the only groups allowed to undergo legal abortions in Brazil,
01:30but this will change if Bill 1904 is passed.
01:33However, after a recent poll showed three-quarters of Brazil's population opposes the bill,
01:38Congressional President Arthur Lira announced he will delay voting on the measure.
01:45We are strong enough to dispute public opinion, to establish a majority opinion and defeat the rich and powerful,
01:51even on an issue that might look controversial, but isn't really, because every Brazilian woman knows what rape is.
01:59On July 27th, women's movements will converge on Brazil's capital for the first national protest against Bill 1904.
02:08Brian Meir, TELUS Sur, Recife.