Video as Evidence: Human Rights Film Screened in Brazilian Supreme Court Hearings

Each year, nine in every 10,000 Brazilian mothers-to-be give birth to infants with anencephaly, a condition in which a major portion of the embryo's brain is missing and that leads to death before birth or shortly after. The Brazilian rate is the fourth highest in the world and 50 times greater than those of countries like France or Belgium, largely because of highly restrictive abortion laws that force these mothers to carry their pregnancies to term whether they choose to or not.    

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (US), anencephalic infants are usually blind, deaf, and unable to feel pain or gain consciousness due to the lack of a functioning cerebrum.

In 2004, filmmaker and WITNESS VAI alum Debora Diniz spent several months documenting the stories of women that were living through this dilemma in Brazil. In this film, "Four Women" speak of freedom and human dignity--basic principles guaranteed to them by the Brazilian Constitution but taken away by the courts.

To fight for their rights, the Brazilian National Health Care Workers Confederation joined forces with ANIS (Institute of Bioethics, Human Rights, and Gender) to launch Enough Suffering, a campaign based on the principle that "no woman should be forced to carry out the pregnancy of a fetus that will die." It calls for the Brazilian Supreme Court to approve a legal provision known as "ADPF 54", which waives the need for judicial approval in cases of anencephaly.

All through next week, the Brazilian Supreme Court will be holding a series of public hearings on the subject before reaching a final decision in October. "Four Women" will be screened and used as evidence of these women's plight.  To sign the petition in support of ADPF 54, click here. You can also write to the Brazilian Supreme Court, the OHCHR, and  UNIFEM. Take Action.