Brazilian political leaders gathered at the Senate’s Petronio Portela Auditorium for the First Brazilian Meeting of Legislators and Leaders for Life, which ended with the signing of a manifesto that will be sent to President Lula da Silva.

The meeting was promoted by the Parliamentarian Front in Defense of Life – Against Abortion and was intended to “establish a national articulation and mobilize political leaders in defense of life from the moment of conception.”

Among the issues discussed at the meeting were international population control policies and pro-life strategies in Brazil, including resistance efforts in Congress and by civil groups to the legalization of abortion.  At the conclusion of the event, a statement was approved that will be sent to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and to the leader of the Brazilian House of Representatives, Arlindo Chinaglia, and the leader of the Senate, Garibaldi Alves Filho.
 
Attendees of the event ranged from local officials to national representatives and senators, including US Senator Christopher Smith.