The Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the Chamber of Deputies may vote this Tuesday (26) on the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) 164/2012, which prohibits legal abortion in Brazil. Termination of pregnancy is permitted in the country in cases of risk of death for the pregnant woman, pregnancy due to rape and fetal anencephaly, that is, malformation of the fetal brain.
The president of the CCJ, deputy Caroline de Toni (PL-SC), defends the proposal and had informed that, as soon as the deadline for the deputies’ analysis ended, the topic would be included again for voting in the CCJ.
The PEC vote was postponed in the second week of November by request and returned to the Committee’s agenda this Tuesday, from 2:30 pm, and on Wednesday (27), from 10 am. If the text is approved by the CCJ, a special commission will be created to analyze the topic. If approved by a special committee, the PEC will go to the Chamber plenary.
The controversial nature of the proposal has intensified the debates. Photo: Lula Marques/ Agência Brasil
Authored by former federal deputies Eduardo Cunha (RJ) and João Campos (GO), the PEC seeks to modify article 5 of the Federal Constitution, adding that life is inviolable “from conception”. In the understanding of parliamentarians, this change prohibits the possibilities of legal abortion currently permitted by Brazilian legislation.
The matter was criticized by deputies who understand that in cases of rape, anencephalic fetus and risk of death for the pregnant woman, the right to terminate the pregnancy must be guaranteed.
Representative Sâmia Bonfim, when discussing the topic in the last session of the CCJ that debated PEC 164, argued that the proposal forces women to have children from their rapists.
“The PEC violates the rights of those who do not want to be mothers of children of rapists, but it also denies the rights of those who want, plan and dream of becoming mothers. For example, in vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction clinics will need to be closed with this PEC. After all, any type of manipulation of embryos cannot be carried out”, he explained.
When responding to questions, the PEC rapporteur, deputy Chris Tonietto (PL/RJ), defended pregnancy in cases of rape. “Your mother suffered violence [estrupo]. Could this baby be killed because of a crime he didn’t commit? Is this fair? This is a point that I ask”, he stated.
