Brazil Residents Join Large Rally Against Abortion After Girl’s Controversial Case
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 30, 2009
Sao Paulo, Brazil (LifeNews.com) — Thousands of Brazilians rallied against abortion over the weekend after a controversial case involving a nine-year-old girl who was pressured to have an abortion of her twin babies. The girl had supposedly been a victim of sexual abuse and the Catholic Church strongly opposed the abortion.
The rally saw about 4,000 people take to the streets and part of the demonstration was conducted in silence or several hours in Cathedral Square in Brazil’s largest city.
The pro-life advocates held balloons and waved Brazilian flags and T-shirts with pro-life messages.
Although the case of the young girl drew national attention, some say sexual abuse and subsequent abortions for minors is becoming more prevalent.
“Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more common,” Daniela Pedroso, a psychologist, told the New York Times.
Abortions are illegal in the large South American nation, but allowed in cases when the mother’s life is at risk or the woman is a victim of rape or incest.
The Brazil health department says the number of legal abortions for girls 10 to 14 last year more than doubled to 49, up from 22 in 2007.
Despite abortion’s illegal status, there are an estimated 55 abortion centers throughout the nation that do abortions behind closed doors.
The young girl involved in the controversy became pregnant after allegedly being subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, who is now in custody.
She was found to be four months pregnant when she was taken to a local hospital after complaining of stomach pains.
Although some doctors said she could have carried the pregnancy to term, other physicians said her body could not bear the pregnancy and both babies were killed in an abortion, which is legal to save the life of the mother in Brazil.
Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the archbishop of Olinda and Recife, was upset the abortion was done and excommunicated those involved from the Catholic Church.
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