Brasilia, Brazil, May 21, 2010 / 12:07 pm
Brazilian Congresswoman Fatima Pelaes shared her personal testimony on the floor of the Brazilian House of Representatives during a vote on a measure that would protect the unborn from abortion. She told lawmakers that her mother was a victim of rape and decided to let her live rather than kill her through abortion. “I was born after a rape, I cannot support abortion!” she exclaimed.
On Wednesday, Brazil’s House of Representatives passed the measure that grants legal protection to the unborn. It now will go before the Senate.
The Defense of Life Movement (DLM) in Porto Alegre said that during the vote on the measure, Pelaes took the podium and told her story. Her mother was the victim of rape while she was in a co-ed prison. At first she wanted to get an abortion, but she ended up deciding to keep her baby.
When she finished her remarks, DLM reported that “Everyone was moved and in tears. Representative Arnaldo Faria took the podium and asked for a response that would match the testimony by Fatima Pelaes. ‘My colleagues, after this testimony, how can we not support the life of the unborn?’”
The DLM urged Brazilians to continue to pressure their lawmakers as the measure prepares to go before the entire Senate.