PERSONAL: Brazilian activist fights for threatened abortion rights, following her own struggle

Record ID: 1866246

  • Title: PERSONAL: Brazilian activist fights for threatened abortion rights, following her own struggle
  • Date: 5th December 2024
  • Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (FILE - JULY 10, 2024) (REUTERS) MENDES LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS FROM THE COLOMBIAN HEALTH FACILITY WHERE SHE HAD AN ABORTION MENDES HOLDING PREGNANCY TEST (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) LAWYER AND PRO ABORTION ACTIVIST, REBECA MENDES, SAYING: “I entered the clinic without really knowing what would happen. I remember talking to the doctor and he explained which were my options and I chose the type of treatment I wanted. And then it happened and it happened very quickly.” MENDES SHOWING MEDICAL DOCUMENTS INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPERS COVERING MENDES’ STORY (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) LAWYER AND PRO ABORTION ACTIVIST, REBECA MENDES, SAYING: “I remember him looking at me and saying ‘it’s over’. And then I remember crying and I remember that I cried, cried, cried. But it was that cry of relief, you know? It’s finally over, I got what I wanted.” MENDES’ MEDICAL REPORT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) LAWYER AND PRO ABORTION ACTIVIST, REBECA MENDES, SAYING: “And then I start to reflect, I only got as far as I did because I had one contact. If it hadn't been for that one contact, I would have been another woman who had resorted to illegality, putting my life at risk.” MENDES’ MEDICAL REPORT SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (FILE - JULY 11, 2024) (REUTERS) SIGNAGE READING (Portuguese): "MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL AND MATERNITY SCHOOL CACHOEIRINHA" MENDES WALKING OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) LAWYER AND PRO ABORTION ACTIVIST, REBECA MENDES, SAYING: "We've been accompanying many women here, so we knew how the team operated, the quality of the team's care, the quality of the procedure techniques used here in the hospital. So, when it shut down, it had a huge impact on us. Not to mention, at that time, Cachoeirinha was the fourth hospital in Brazil performing abortions past 22 weeks."
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2024 13:05
  • Keywords: Brazil Feminist activism Human rights abortion rights
  • Location: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
  • City: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,South America / Central America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA002476304122024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In Brazil, abortion rights are under threat and Rebeca Mendes' personal experience highlights the dire situation.
    After a failed legal battle for an abortion, she flew to Colombia for the procedure, sparking her activism upon return. Amid a conservative-led push to ban all abortions, Mendes exposed hospitals' lack of cooperation and violation of women's privacy, stating, "Medical records are being violated."
    Comparing the ease of her experience in Colombia to the dangerous alternatives in Brazil, she founded Project Vivas to assist others seeking safe abortions. Her activities, now centered in Sao Paulo, continue against a backdrop of increasing restrictions.
    Last Tuesday (November 27), the PEC 164/12 proposition was approved by the Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship Committee of the Brazilian House of Representatives. This constitutional amendment reduces legal access to abortion, including in cases of rape, risk of death for the mother, and gestation of anencephalic fetuses, stating that "life begins with conception."
    This text will be examined by a special committee in 2025, according to the Brazilian House of Representatives.
    (Production: Lais Morais, Hugo Monnet)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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