The publication “Abortion: why is decriminalization necessary?” brings together the main arguments presented in 2018, from August 3 to August 6, to the Brazilian Supreme Court at the public hearing on ADPF 442, the petition to decriminalize abortion in the first trimester. It encompasses information from various fields, such as public health, bioethics, international law, social sciences, and the role of religion in a secular state.
If you need accessible and reliable data on abortion, with complete and up-to-date references, this is your source. The publication is divided into seven main parts that demonstrate, for example, that criminalizing does not work, since it does not prevent abortions — on the contrary, it kills and makes women vulnerable. It is also discriminatory, for the risks of unsafe abortion are particularly worse among black and indigenous women in the most distant and vulnerable regions of the country.
It also discusses the fact that criminalization has not reduced the number of abortions anywhere in the world. There is evidence from several countries that abortion rates decrease after decriminalization. In addition, criminalization negatively impacts an ethical practice of medicine and compromises women’s rights to health, even in cases where abortion is already permitted.
The evidence presented in this publication is indispensable to a serious debate on health policy. If abortion is part of women’s health needs and criminalization does not prevent it, we need to rethink the topic. Join the discussion.
