Against the Right to Abortion in Brazil

Neoconservative Attacks on the Three Powers of the State

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58238/igal.v4i2.95

Keywords:

abortion, criminal law, brazilian legal framework, religious exception, neoconservatism

Abstract

This article discusses some neoconservative practical-discursive attacks on the powers of the Brazilian State, targeting sexual and reproductive rights. These attacks are driven by politicians and public administrators aligned with Christian religious fundamentalism and patriarchy. Within the Legislative Power, the article highlights proposals, especially Bill 1904 of 2024, which became emblematic for exposing the strategy aimed at repealing any exceptions to the criminalization of abortion. In the Executive Power, obstacles to the legal implementation of abortion are described, alongside the efficiency of the criminal justice system, which is even fueled by healthcare professionals and professional councils to investigate and punish self-induced abortions and abortions induced by others with the consent of the pregnant individual. In the Judiciary Power, pending decisions are examined, such as medical confidentiality, the regulation of the medical act of fetal asystole, the "unconstitutional state of affairs" regarding legal abortion, and protocols for abortion for victims of rape. These attacks go beyond a mere moral agenda. They contribute to destabilizing democracies and social justice. Ultimately, they challenge the guarantees of a dignified life for minorities, individual rights, the principle of secularism, and equality as a civilizational value.

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Author Biographies

Ela Wiecko Volkmer de Castilho , Universidade de Brasília (UnB)

Retired professor from the Faculty of Law at UnB, and collaborating researcher in the Postgraduate Program in Law. She leads the Candango Criminology Group, the Moitará - Ethnic Rights Research Group and the Law, Gender and Families Research Group. Accredited in the Postgraduate Program in Human Rights and Citizenship, at UnB.

Clara Frota Wardi, Universidade de Brasília (UnB)

Master in Sociology and PhD student in Sociology at the University of Brasília (UnB). Member of the Cravinas Legal Clinic, Practice in Sexual and Reproductive Rights (FD/UnB). Communicator for the United Nations Development Program in Brazil (UNDP)

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Published

2026-02-02

How to Cite

Almeida, T. M., Wiecko Volkmer de Castilho , E., & Frota Wardi, C. (2026). Against the Right to Abortion in Brazil: Neoconservative Attacks on the Three Powers of the State. IusGénero América Latina, 4(2), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.58238/igal.v4i2.95

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