Brazilian Human Rights Minister Presses Charges Against Magazine for Abortion Article

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights, and evangelical pastor Damares Alves, classified a report on abortion as “praising crime” and said she has pressed charges to follow up the case. On Twitter, the minister said she was alerted on the subject and that the content of the material could put girls and women at risk.

The article was published by AzMina Magazine and begins by describing a legal abortion performed by a Brazilian woman in Colombia, where the procedure is legal. The material also shows information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts on the subject, clarifying that, in Brazil, abortion is considered a crime and there are only three exceptions allowed by law: for victims of rape, when there is a risk for the woman’s life and by anencephaly of the fetus.

The publication also brings information on how the procedure is done, where it is legal and the expected effects of the drugs used to induce abortion. The article clarifies throughout, that the drugs and procedures indicated cannot be used by any woman or in any way.

“AzMina’s right to inform is guaranteed by the freedom of the press and provided for in the Brazilian Constitution, and it is essential for the functioning of democracy. We have not committed any crime. We just did our job,” declared the magazine in a note published on its website. The publication recalled that the Federal Supreme Court analyzes an action that asks for the unconstitutionality of the criminalization of abortion.

After the material was released, journalists from the magazine reported attacks on social networks. Some profiles disseminate the image and profile of the journalist who signed the article, with comments about her private life and offenses, according to the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), which spoke on the subject.

“ABRAJI never expresses itself on the editorial criteria of press agencies. In a democratic environment, everyone should be free to cover any subject as they see fit. Criticism of the media and journalists should also be free; it is normal that their actions go through the scrutiny of participants from the public sphere. But democracy itself becomes a target when criticism becomes an attack, especially if it is amplified by public office holders and elected representatives,” the entity said in a statement.

The association said it appealed to the Federal and São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Offices “not to continue any criminal charges against the professionals and the magazine, in fulfillment of their role of safeguarding freedom of expression.” The note also adds that “media outlets that identify with right-wing views, reverberate the case by claiming that the magazine ‘teaches how to abort a pregnancy’ – a distortion amplified by public officials.”

Source: Estadão