Public health or the Pope?

The Pope hadn't even set foot in the country yet, but he managed to set off a debate in Brazil over the country's abortion law.

Brazil is the latest country of the Latin and South American nations to consider liberalizing its abortion law to protect women's health. Mexico City recently legalized abortion within its city limits, and last year Columbia's high court found the country's outright ban on abortions unconstitutional.

Brazil's president rightly sees the issue of abortion--and illegal abortion--as a matter of public health. On Monday, Mr. da Silva gave an interview to Roman Catholic radio stations stating that though personally opposed to abortion, as president he believes that “the state cannot abdicate from caring for this as a public health question, because to do so would lead to the death of many young women in this country.”

There are an estimated 1-2 million illegal abortions in Brazil every year.

There was a great quote from the president in the NYT piece: “No one is in favor of abortion,” Mr. da Silva said Tuesday, as the controversy was intensifying. “But the question is: should a woman be imprisoned? Should she die? It’s necessary to look at the woman as a human being.”

And who exactly should be deciding about the woman's health and body, anyway? The woman, or, perhaps, an 80 year old celibate man?

Visit International Planned Parenthood Federation's website on Brazil for more information on reproductive health programs in that country, or to contribute to their work looking out for women's health and lives.