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

Record ID: 1866247

  • Title: PERSONAL: Brazilian activist fights for threatened abortion rights, following her own struggle
  • Date: 5th December 2024
  • Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (NOVEMBER 27, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MENDES PROTESTING IN THE STREET WITH OTHER ACTIVISTS HOLDING SIGN READING (Portuguese): “No to the PEC 164/12” (Editor's note: PEC 164/12 is a constitutional amendment that reduces legal access to abortion, including in cases of rape, death risk for the mother and gestation of anencephalic fetuses.)
  • 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: LVA003476304122024RP1
  • 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: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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