Breaking Brazil’s Abortion Silence

Rebecca Mendes is the First Latin American to demand a legal abortion. She found out she was pregnant in October of 2017, while trying a new contraceptive method and wanted to undergo a legal and safe abortion within the first trimester of her pregnancy. However, she needed permission from the government to decriminalize abortion first since abortion is a criminal offense in Brazil and can lead to a prison sentence.

Rebecca Mendes, the first Latin-American to fight for legal abortion in Brazil

Abortion in Brazil is usually done in secret, and it is considered as a taboo which makes both men and women fear being judged, mistreated, threatened, and arrested. As a result, doctors and nurses often report to the police as women come to hospitals demanding emergency care services that may lead to complications due to unsafe abortions.

 “Abortion in Brazil is usually done in secret, and it is considered as a taboo which makes both men and women fear being judged, mistreated, threatened, and arrested.”

Because of the confidentiality of the topic of abortion, the Brazilian Supreme Court denied Rebecca’s request to proceed with the abortion process, however, a writ of habeas corpus was then filed for her to obtain abortion rights in Brazil. She was then invited to Columbia to share her experience about the strict abortion policies in Brazil, and later on received abortion rights in Columbia and returned to Brazil afterwards.