Abortions represent a very delicate subject in Brazil. Each day, women die because of botched abortions. There have been two recent cases of deaths related to clandestine abortions. One of them is Jandira dos Santos Cruz, a 27-year old mother of two. She disappeared after her partner had dropped her off at a bus station in Rio de Janeiro. She had paid $2000 in order to have an illegal abortion done. After a woman in a white car took her away, her partner never saw her again. He received a text message in which Jandira said she was asked to turn off her phone and that she was very scared. Last week, her body was found in a car, with her limbs and teeth removed. The DNA tests revealed it was Jandira. Police believe she died during the abortion and her body was later on mutilated in order to avoid its identification. The second case is Elisangela Barbosa, a 32-year old woman who also died after having a clandestine abortion. Her womb and intestines were punctured and she bled to death. Her body was dragged out into the streets and a passing car was stopped and asked to rush her to the hospital. She did not make it to the hospital alive.
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Because of the laws regarding abortion, in Brazil, women’s lives are put in danger. In Brazil, an abortion can only be performed if the pregnancy puts the life of the mother in any kind of danger, if the pregnancy is the result of rape or if the fetus has severe problems. There are numerous people saying that the law does not prevent abortion, nor does it protect the fetus. It only puts women’s lives in danger. Statistics show that 1 in 5 women under 40 has had at least one abortion performed. Human rights groups and health associations request that abortions are made legal. It is a matter of public health, since botched abortions are the fifth most frequent cause of death for women in Brazil. One of the main reasons why people and politicians oppose abortions is religion. 79% of Brazilians do not want any change regarding the law for abortion. Brazilians have strongly rooted Catholic values which oppose the idea of abortion.
Since Brazil is holding its presidential election on October 5, politicians have been faced with questions regarding the abortion matter. They all tried to avoid the subject and a reduced number of candidates stated they would not change the current law. Ricardo Ismael, a political scientist, claims that the topic is too delicate for a proper answer from candidates. They avoid it because they do not wish to alienate religious groups. “It’s taboo for the Catholic Church, it’s taboo for the evangelical churches. So candidates don’t dare face the issue. The standard response is to keep the law as it is”, he added.