{{Short description|Landmark abortion case of the Supreme Court of Brazil}} {{Infobox court case | name = ADPF 54 | image = Supreme Federal Court of Brazil.jpg | imagesize = | court = Supreme Federal Court | start date = {{start date|2004|6|17|df=y}} | date decided = {{start date|2012|4|12|df=y}} | full name = Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental 54 (National Confederation of Health Workers (CNTS) v. President of the Republic) | citations = [https://portal.stf.jus.br/processos/detalhe.asp?incidente=2226954 Supreme Court of Brazil decriminalized the abortion of anencephalics in the country] | judges = '''President'''
'''Justices'''
{{hlist|Marco Aurélio Mello|Ayres Britto|Cármen Lúcia|Ricardo Lewandowski|Gilmar Mendes|Joaquim Barbosa|Celso de Mello|Luiz Fux|Rosa Weber}} |decision by = Aurélio |concurring = Britto, Lúcia, Mendes, Barbosa, Mello, Fux and Weber |dissenting = Peluzo and Lewandowski |keywords = {{hlist|Abortion in Brazil|Abortion law}} }}
'''ADPF 54''' is a landmark case of the Supreme Court of Brazil. The rapporteur, minister Marco Aurélio Mello, voted in favor of decriminalization of abortions involving anencephalic fetuses.<ref name="g12012">{{Cite web |url=https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2012/04/veja-como-votaram-os-ministros-do-stf-sobre-aborto-de-feto-sem-cerebro.html | title=Veja como votaram os ministros do STF sobre aborto de feto sem cérebro | lang=pt-br | trans-title=See how Supreme Court ministers voted on abortion of fetus without a brain | website=G1 | date=2012-04-11 | access-date=2023-11-13 }}</ref> The minister considered it unconstitutional the interpretation that interrupting a pregnancy of anencephalic fetus is a crime according to the Penal Code of Brazil:<ref name="g12012"/>
{{blockquote|text= {{lang|pt|Aborto é crime contra a vida. Tutela-se a vida em potencial. No caso do anencéfalo, não existe vida possível. O feto anencéfalo é biologicamente vivo, por ser formado por células vivas, e juridicamente morto, não gozando de proteção estatal. [...] O anencéfalo jamais se tornará uma pessoa. Em síntese, não se cuida de vida em potencial, mas de morte segura. Anencefalia é incompatível com a vida.}}
Abortion is a crime against life. The potential life is protected. In the case of the anencephalic, there is no possible life. The anencephalic fetus is biologically alive, being composed of living cells, and juridically dead, not warranting state protection. [...] The anencephalic will never become a person. In short, it is not about caring for a potential life, but an assured death. Anencephaly is incompatible with life. |multiline=yes |title=Excerpt of Minister Marco Aurélio's vote }}
Minister Dias Toffoli voluntarily abstained from voting due to a self-declared conflict of interest, as he previously presented a favorable opinion towards interrupting the pregnancy in such cases, during his term as Attorney General of Brazil.<ref name="g12012"/>
==High Court decision== {{AbortionLawsMap|size=350px}}
===Judiciary representation=== {| class="wikitable" ! Supreme Court members ! width="55pt"|Ministers ! width="55pt"|Yes ! width="55pt"|No |- |align="left"|Ayres Britto |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Cármen Lúcia |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Celso de Mello |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Cezar Peluso |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |align="center"|1 |- |align="left"|Gilmar Mendes |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Marco Aurélio Mello |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Rosa Weber |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Joaquim Barbosa |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Luiz Fux |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="left"|Ricardo Lewandowski |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |align="center"|1 |- |align="center"|'''Total''' |align="center"|'''10''' |align="center" bgcolor="#abd5f5"|'''08''' |align="center" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|'''02''' |- |}
===Legislative representation=== {| class="wikitable" ! Prosecutor General ! width="55pt"|Prosecutor ! width="55pt"|Yes ! width="55pt"|No |- |align="left"|Roberto Gurgel |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|'''Total''' |align="center"|'''1''' |align="center" bgcolor="#abd5f5"|'''1''' |align="center" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|'''0''' |- |}
===Executive representation=== {| class="wikitable" ! Attorney General ! width="55pt"|Attorney ! width="55pt"|Yes ! width="55pt"|No |- |align="left"|Luís Inácio Adams |align="center"|1 |align="center"|1 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|'''Total''' |align="center"|'''1''' |align="center" bgcolor="#abd5f5"|'''1''' |align="center" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|'''0''' |- |}
===Amici curiae=== thumb|200px|Page in the Supreme Federal Court's ruling listing the ''amici curiae'' involved in the decision|page=19
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | Amici curiae (Support for ADPF 54) (10) |- ! Entity || Translated name || Acronym |- | {{ill|Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir|pt}} || Catholics for the Right to Decide || CDD |- | Associação de Desenvolvimento da Família || Association of Family Development || ADEF |- | Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia || Brazilian Federation of Gynecology || FEBRASGO |- | Sociedade Brasileira de Genética Clínica || Brazilian Society of Clinical Genetics || |- | Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Fetal || Brazilian Clinical Society of Fetal Medicine || |- | Conselho Federal de Medicina || Federal Council of Medicine || CFM |- | Rede Feminista de Saúde || Feminist Network of Health || |- | {{ill|Escola de Gente|pt}} || School of People || EG |- | {{ill|Anis - Instituto de Bioética|pt|lt=Instituto de Bioética, Direitos Humanos e Gênero }} || Institute of Bioethics, Human Rights and Gender || ANIS |- | Federal Deputy José Aristodemo Pinotti (DEM-SP) || {{N/A}} || {{N/A}} |}
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | Amici curiae (Against ADPF 54) (3) |- ! Entity || Translated name || Acronym |- | Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil || National Conference of Brazilian Bishops || CNBB |- | Associação Nacional Pró-vida e Pró-família || National Association Pro-Life and Pro-Family || |- | Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus || Universal Church of the Kingdom of God || IURD |}
==See also== {{Portal|Brazil}} * ADPF 442 (ongoing case concerning decriminalization of abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy) * Abortion law * Abortion in Brazil
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Supreme Court of Brazil top landmarks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:ADPF 54 V. Brazilian Penal Code}} Category:Abortion law Category:Brazilian legislation Category:Abortion in Brazil Category:Supreme Federal Court of Brazil cases