Abortion Ban Lifted in Brazil for Fetuses With Severe Brain Damage
Even in countries where abortion is banned with few exceptions they do understand the need for some abortions.
Brazil’s Supreme Court voted on Thursday to legalize abortions of severely brain-damaged fetuses. According to Reuters, the measure applies specifically to cases of anencephaly, a disorder that leads to a malformation or absence of large parts of the brain. There is an overwhelming likelihood that babies with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.
Only two of the 10 participating judges voted against lifting the ban, marking the historic shift in abortion law in South America’s largest country. Brazil, like many countries in Latin America, has long banned abortion, other than in pregnancies caused by rape and those that pose a threat to the life of the mother.
A woman who terminates a pregnancy under any other circumstances can face up to three years in prison, while the doctor who performs the procedure can be jailed for four years, reported the New York Daily News. Chief Justice Cezar Peluso cast one of the two “no” votes. He predicted the decision would lead to a “massacre” of anencephalic fetuses.
Warning: graphic photos at link below.
Anencephaly