May 15, 2007 / 11:06 am
A study by the firm Datafolha has revealed that 82 percent of Brazilians who claim to be atheists oppose the legalization of abortion in the country. Analysts say the survey shows that the defense of life is not a religious but a humanitarian issue.
80 percent of Brazilian atheists also oppose liberalizing abortion for such cases as anencephaly (a congenital absence of all or a major part of the brain). The study shows that people who say they practice no religion are more firmly against abortion that those who belong to some of the Afro-Brazilian religions.
Carried out between March 19 and 20, the survey also showed that 90 percent of the populace opposes the total legalization of abortion. 74 percent do not want abortion to be legal anymore than the current circumstances allow and favor no change in the law.
The study was based on a survey of six thousand Brazilians above the age of 16 throughout the country.