Thousands protest Brazil abortion ban

RIO DE JANEIRO : Thousands of women marched through the streets of Rio de Janeiro to protest a recent congressional committee vote to make abortion illegal without exception in Brazil.

Many protesters carried their children in their arms or on their shoulders, shouting: “Our bodies are ours!”.

Scuffles broke out between protesters and police when the march reached the Rio state legislature.

Police fired tear gas, but calm soon returned.

Abortion is currently allowed in Brazil in cases of rape, a pregnancy that threatens a woman’s life or a foetus with anencephaly, a birth defect involving the brain.

But the congressional committee last week adopted a measure that would remove those exceptions, provoking widespread outrage though many Brazilians hold conservative views on abortion. — AP

Mothers and daughters: Thousands of Brazilians protesting against a controversial Bill which aims to cut the right to abortion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AFP