Chamber approves bill that makes legal abortion more difficult in children

The Chamber of Deputies approved, by 317 to 111, on Wednesday a bill that makes legal abortion more difficult in children. The bill suspends a resolution of the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda), which determined that minors under 14 years old can have an abortion at any month of gestation. The merit of the text is expected to be voted on today. Just moments before the approval of the merit, the bill had its urgent status approved. The instrument allows the text to be put on the agenda directly in the plenary, without going through the committee phase. The bill was authored by Deputy Chris Tonietto (PL-RJ) and the urgency is signed by several deputies from PP, PL, PSD, Republicans, União Brasil, and MDB. The rapporteur is Deputy Luiz Gastão (PSD-CE). In addition to determining that there should be no gestational time limit for abortion in minors under 14 years old, the Conanda resolution that the bill aims to overturn also states that abortions in children can be ‘carried out without the need for a police report, a court-authorized decision, and communication to legal guardians, so that these factors do not constitute undue obstacles.’ The text was criticized by some of the deputies present at today’s session. ‘A girl is not a mother, a rapist is not a father, respect Brazilian law,’ said Deputy Fernanda Melchionna (PSOL-RS). Conanda is linked to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship and has participants from the government and civil society. Its purpose is to develop and oversee the implementation of standards for the national policy for the care of children and adolescents’ rights. The Conanda resolution was published by the government in January of this year in the Official Gazette. The text has no legal force, as it has the validity of a normative force, which provides guidance on the appropriate procedure with minors. The resolution passed by Conanda aims to ensure humane treatment for victims with the right to the procedure, as provided for by Brazilian legislation: in cases of pregnancy resulting from sexual violence, risk to the pregnant woman’s life, and when the fetus has anencephaly. ‘The gestational age limit for abortion does not have a legal provision and should not be used by services as an obstacle to the procedure. This parameter should be considered solely for the choice of the method to be used, in accordance with scientific evidence and in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations,’ says one of the articles of the resolution. In the bill, Deputy Chris Tonietto criticized the resolution. ‘Its content, in addition to being illegal, promotes a policy that violates the most basic of human rights: life,’ she said.