By six votes to three, U.S. Supreme Court judges overturned the 49-year-old Roe v Wade precedent of constitutionally establishing a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy; As a result, abortion could become illegal in 22 US states.
Federal Supreme Court Secretary Luís Roberto Barroso told BBC News Brasil this Saturday (25/6) that the decision by the United States Supreme Court to reverse a decision guaranteeing the right to abortion in the country is a “major setback”. women”.
“This is a decision against the majority that imposes a conservative agenda on a society that has overcome this problem,” said the minister, who is in the UK to attend the Brasil Forum UK, an event organized by Brazilian students. .
“I see this as a huge setback for women’s rights,” Barroso said in an interview with BBC News Brasil.
By six votes to three, U.S. Supreme Court judges overturned the 49-year-old Roe v Wade precedent of constitutionally establishing a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy. As a result, abortion could become illegal in 22 US states where local laws restricting access to the procedure are about to come into effect.
Asked by BBC News Brasil, “In principle, it is always bad to overturn a consolidated precedent, even a precedent that has been established for almost 50 years and has the support of the majority of society,” Barroso criticized. American decision.
- US Supreme Court Revokes Abortion Right: How the Decision Reverberated on Politicians and Celebrities
- US Supreme Court Overturns Right to Abortion with Roe v Wade Review
- The Surprising Return of Evangelicals to Abortion in the US After Film and the Feminist Response
- ‘I was 9 years old, I didn’t speak and I didn’t smile’: Childhood abortion case that shocked Brazil 13 years ago
‘No air’
In Brazil, the Federal Supreme Court may also be the institution that sets the course for termination of pregnancy. A case calling for the decriminalization of abortion in the country has been in court since 2017 by the rapporteur of Minister Rosa Weber.
Since then, the composition of the court has changed a lot with the appointment of two ministers by President Jair Bolsonaro: Kássio Nunes Marques and the evangelical André Mendonça.
According to Barroso, the moment is not ideal for prosecuting the action that calls for the decriminalization of abortion in Brazil.
“The Rapporteur has a certain control over the timing of the proceedings, and this also depends on being directed by the president. So you need two wills, the rapporteur and the president,” explains the minister.
“I think this will not be discussed any time soon. There is no calmness to judge this matter. But it also cannot be postponed indefinitely. At some point a decision will have to be made and I think it can be a firm decision”, BBC News Brazil told.
Currently, abortion in Brazil is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. Processing is only permitted if there is rape, life-threatening to the mother and the fetus has anencephaly and has no chance of surviving after birth.
- What might be the judge who convinced the raped 11-year-old girl to avoid abortion?
11-year-old boy denied abortion
However, access to legal abortion is often difficult in these three cases. This week, the case of an 11-year-old boy who was raped and initially deprived of his right to terminate the pregnancy caused a stir in Brazil and received foreign media coverage.
The website Intercept Brasil and Portal Catarinas reveal that despite the girl’s legal right to abortion and expressing her wish, she remained in the shelter for a month on Justice’s orders to prevent the procedure from continuing.
She was finally released from the shelter last Tuesday (21) after the case came to the fore and had an abortion on Wednesday (22).
Barroso said he was “shaken” by the case and stressed that personal “religious convictions” should not guide the decisions of judges and prosecutors.
“The first thing to say is the fact that there was violence against a child and a woman. This is very shocking. And it seems that the initial decisions were influenced by religious beliefs. The state is secular and religious beliefs should not influence judicial decisions.” , told BBC News Brazil.
“Every normal, sensible person gets upset that things like this happen.”
‘Conservatism caught in violence’
After speaking to BBC News Brasil, Barroso criticized the polarization and difficulty of dialogue in Brazil in recent years at a conference at Oxford University (UK). He was interrupted by a woman in the audience when he defended electronic voting machines and said that returning to the “printed ballot with manual counting” system would be a “throwback”.
“It’s a lie, not counting by hand!” yell. Then a man sitting next to her said, “How can we trust the man who unleashed the greatest thief in the country!” yell.
Barroso countered, saying that in democracy there is room for disagreement, but that arguments should be presented with “civilization”. He later claimed that “conservatism” in Brazil was “caught” by violence.
“Legitimate conservative thinking has been taken over by rudeness, violence, disrespect. We need to save the kindness that makes it possible to leave with respect. We have become a land of crime,” he said in a speech at the Brasil Forum UK. seminar. Interrupting the minister, the woman tried to intervene further during the lecture, and the organizers asked her to leave.
In a note, the organization of the seminar said: “Brazil Forum UK is essentially the promotion of dialogue and plural discussions. With this in mind, after the speakers’ presentation, there is room for question and answer where there is respectful speech and fruitful interaction with the audience… But the participant in question made it clear that he intended to cause confusion by abruptly and harshly interrupting Minister Barroso’s speech. Fortunately, the episode was punctual and was quickly dealt with.”
‘This text was originally https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-61936898‘
Did you know that the BBC is also on Telegram? subscribe to the channel.
Have you watched our new videos at YouTube? Subscribe to our channel!
source: Noticias
[author_name]
