Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday as protests sweep across Brazil in opposition to a bill that would further criminalize abortions. The proposed law, which equates terminating a pregnancy after 22 weeks with homicide, has sparked outrage and mobilized women's rights groups nationwide.

The bill, put forth by conservative lawmakers and awaiting a vote in the lower house, has drawn criticism for its inclusion of cases of rape. Opponents argue that the majority of late-term abortions are sought by child rape victims, as their pregnancies are often detected later. To rally opposition and raise awareness, rights' groups initiated the 'A Child is Not a Mother' campaign, flooding social media platforms with placards, stickers, and banners bearing the slogan.

The largest demonstration to date took place in Sao Paulo, where an estimated 10,000 people, mainly women, occupied several blocks of the city's main boulevard. Protesters donned green clothing and scarves, a symbolic gesture commonly associated with women's rights movements in Latin America. The demonstrations have also taken place in other major cities across the country, including Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Florianopolis, Recife, and Manaus.

Brazil currently permits abortion only in cases of rape if there is a clear risk to the mother's life or if the fetus has no functioning brain. The penal code imposes a sentence of one to three years in jail for women who seek to terminate a pregnancy, with exceptions for these specific circumstances. However, some Brazilian women resort to traveling abroad to obtain abortions.

If the bill becomes law, the penalty for performing an abortion after 22 weeks would increase to between six and 20 years of imprisonment. Critics of the bill point out that this would mean convicted rapists could potentially receive lesser sentences than their victims. Additionally, experts emphasize that limited access to abortion in Brazil reflects healthcare inequalities, disproportionately affecting children, poor women, Black women, and those in rural areas.

The statistics regarding rape in Brazil highlight the urgent need to address this issue. In 2022 alone, there were 74,930 reported cases of rape, with 61.4% of the victims being under the age of 14, according to a study by the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. Younger girls may not realize they are pregnant until after the 22-week mark due to a lack of knowledge about menstrual cycles.

Among the protesters, survivors of sexual assault have emphasized the importance of their presence in these demonstrations. Graziela Souza, a 25-year-old student who was sexually assaulted as a child, expressed the necessity of speaking out to fight against the bill. "We must speak out and fight against it because if we stay at home, we are going to lose," she proclaimed.

Defenders of the bill argue that the time limit for abortions was not envisioned when Brazil's penal code was established in 1940, and therefore, the proposed legislation aligns with the view that terminations after 22 weeks should be considered infanticide. Conservative lawmakers, dubbed 'the rape caucus' by protesters, are accused of playing politics, hoping to mobilize support from Evangelical voters ahead of October's municipal elections.

The bill's author, lawmaker and Evangelical pastor Sóstenes Cavalcante, declined an interview request, while lower house Speaker Arthur Lira, who fast-tracked the bill without committee review, has become a target of protesters' anger.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's stance on the bill remains uncertain. During a news conference at the G7 summit in Italy, Lula voiced his opposition to abortion but emphasized the need to treat it as a public health issue and condemned the proposal to impose longer sentences on women than on rapists.

Despite strict abortion laws that have prevailed across Latin America, feminist movements have made significant strides in recent years. Supreme Court decisions in Colombia and Mexico have decriminalized abortion, while Argentina and Chile have legalized the practice. In the United States, the Supreme Court recently upheld access to abortion medication.

In Brazil, the battle for abortion rights continues with the hopes of bringing about progress and protecting the rights of women and girls. The ongoing demonstrations and widespread opposition to the controversial bill signal a growing demand for change in the country's strict abortion laws.