Brazilian women braced for battle amid simmering fears over abortion

Brazilian women braced for battle amid simmering fears over abortion
The abortion debate is nearing a crossroads in a country where stringent laws put women seeking terminations at deadly risk

Jo Griffin in Rio de Janeiro
Thu 26 Apr 2018

For her first abortion, Anna went to a clandestine clinic in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro where a doctor bungled the procedure and left her needing further treatment. Years later, no trace remains of the now-defunct clinic, yet memories of the experience still stir anxiety.

“Even if the service was good, you knew you could go to prison if you were found out,” says Anna, who wanted to be known only by her first name. “And if something went wrong, who could you ask for help? There was no one.”

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/apr/26/brazil-women-braced-for-battle-simmering-fears-abortion-law


FFeminist bots vs rightwing trolls: Brazil’s gender justice movements cross new frontiers

Feminist bots vs rightwing trolls: Brazil’s gender justice movements cross new frontiers

10 April 2018
By Ani Hao

Abortion has long been criminalized in Brazil, and barely figures into the mainstream leftist political agenda. It is an issue that many have all but given up on - but not the feminist movements.

The battle over the criminalization of abortion is revealing of the overall political scenario in Brazil. Criminalizing and controlling gender and sexuality is the moral foundation of the growing right-wing ideology that is driving the country’s political development. With a political system weakened by corruption and collusion, the battle for abortion is now playing out on the internet through individuals, movements, and even web robots (also known as ‘bots’).

Continued: https://www.awid.org/news-and-analysis/feminist-bots-vs-rightwing-trolls-brazils