Nonreligion and the debate on abortion in Brazil (1940-1942)

• Grant number: 25/14534-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 15, 2025
• End date: April 14, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology - Urban Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Paula Montero
• Grantee: Carolina Nicoletti Ramos da Silva
• Supervisor: Lori G. Beaman
• Host Institution: Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/04734-6 - Abortion in cases of rape in the Brazilian Penal Code (1938-1942), BP.IC

Abstract

This research proposal aims to understand how, during a period of Catholic Church hegemony in Brazil, the decriminalization of abortion in cases of rape-introduced in the 1940 Brazilian Penal Code-was received by self-identified religious and non-religious actors, and how they positioned themselves in the debate. The aim is to identify the repertoires used by these actors and the religious and non-religious markers that emerge from their discourse.The research will be conducted within the scope of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project, based at the University of Ottawa, and will be supervised by Professor Lori G. Beaman, the project coordinator. This proposal is particularly aligned with the Law: Reproductive Rights research area, which includes a Brazilian team affiliated with the Center for Religions in the Contemporary World (CEBRAP).