Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov 20, 2007 / 01:48 pm (CNA).- Brazilian society, represented by its delegates, rejected a government-supported proposal during the 13th National Conference of Health to legalize abortion in the country.

The NCH voted on some 400 different proposals to improve public health in Brazil.  Agencia Brasil reported that on the issue of abortion, 70 percent of the 2,627 delegates rejected the proposal and that it would be excluded from the Conference’s final report, which will be sent to the government.

The proposal on abortion was introduced as a “recommendation” by feminist groups and portrayed abortion as “a public health problem” that should be addressed through the law.
Supporters of the proposal were booed by the majority of the participants.

Clovis Boufleur of the Ministry for Children explained that the vote against abortion “reflects the thinking of the Brazilian people,” as polls show that Brazilians do not want to legalize it.

“Abortion does not resolve the health problem in Brazil,” Boufleur explained.
Although the decisions by the NCH do not have any legal impact, they do have great influence over public policy.

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