Abstract: The article analyzes the public hearing of ADPF 442, a lawsuit in the Supreme Court that deals with the voluntary interruption of pregnancy up to 12 weeks as an example of public controversy. It demonstrates that the criminalization of abortion generates inequality at various levels and affects public policies for the care of women. Religious values, centered on the argument of the defense of fetal life, were also used to maintain the law as it is, using arguments from science and law. The arguments and evidence presented in the action by most of the speakers took into consideration the autonomy of women as moral agents in respect to their full citizenship. There were speeches by the anti-abortion panelists that anticipated the anti-science stance concretized in Bolsonaro government.
Keywords:
abortion; ADPF 442; public policies; religion; Supreme Court (Brazil)