Lula on Abortion: Personally Opposed, but a Public Health Issue in Politics
Brazil's reelected president is personally opposed to abortion but wants to treat it as a health issue. He called a bill that could punish raped women more harshly than their attackers "madness."
By MarcelUpdated:
Automatically translated from German · may contain errors · Read the original
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he is personally opposed to abortion but wants to treat the issue as a matter of public health as head of state. According to the Berlin daily taz, in October 2026 he now avoids taking a clear position and says only vaguely: "Personally, I'm against it."
On Sunday, October 25, Lula won the runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro with about 51.8 percent of the valid votes; his fourth term begins on January 5, 2027. Even so, abortion played a role in the campaign. Opponents link Lula to the legalization of abortion, sociologist Sabrina Fernandes said in an interview with the German newspaper nd on the runoff in Brazil. Lula, however, has never proposed expanding reproductive rights in three terms in office, she said.
The Same Formula Since the 1990s
According to a compilation by the Brazilian newspaper Gazeta do Povo, Lula has spoken in almost the same terms since the 1990s: He is personally opposed to abortion, but as head of state he treats it as a public health issue. The newspaper also cites statements from 2016 and 2021, however, in which Lula described abortion as a woman's right.
In April 2022, after criticism, Lula clarified that he was against abortion. He stuck to his earlier call to treat the issue as a health matter, however.
In June 2024, the president repeated this line. In a radio interview with the broadcaster CBN, he said he was against abortion. But as long as he is head of state, he said, the issue must be treated as a health matter.
Decrees Repealed, Tougher Law Rejected
In Brazil, abortion is exempt from punishment only in a few exceptional cases, such as after rape. According to taz, when Lula took office in January 2023, he repealed decrees by his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro on abortions after rape.
Lula was unequivocal in June 2024 on the bill PL 1904/24. It would equate abortions after the 22nd week of pregnancy with homicide, including after rape. Lula rejected this: It was "madness," he said, to want to punish a raped woman more harshly than the perpetrator.
