Indictment of women for the practice of abortion: the (dis) continuity of the punitive discourse

Abstract

This article’s objective was to analyse the arguments used for the conviction or acquittal of women accused of abortion, especially in processes that were suspended. We analysed judicial decisions from the Justice Courts of São Paulo and Minas Gerais States. As a result of the analysis of these materials, we note the repeated granting of conditional suspension of the process or penalty, which could be considered a decriminalizing measure. However, as it entails the extinction of punishment, once accepted and respected the conditions imposed by a fixed term, the content of the concessive decisions exhibit the explicit moral judgement of the convictions, as well as gender discrimination and institutional violence. Thus, we discuss the overall aim of the criminalisation of abortion and the consequences for the full exercise of women’s sexual and reproductive rights.