Letter: Dilma Rousseff defends the family and says she is anti-abortion

[Meshuga]

Text in English (after cleaning up some of the terms not properly translated by the Google Translation tool):

Rio de Janeiro - Dilma Rousseff's Presidential Campaign (Worker's Party) announced on Friday a letter in which she reiterates her positions on abortion, religious freedom, constitutional guarantees and principles that do not go against the family. Titled "Message from Dilma," the document expresses the candidate's desire to "put a definitive end" to the rumors surrounding her campaign, "not to allow the continuing aggressive lies in search of votes."

In the six points addressed in the letter, the Worker's Party candidate defended religious freedom, said that she is "personally against abortion" and pledged, if elected, "not to propose amendments to legislation dealing with abortion issues."

Dilma points to "political opponents" in the letter as responsible for creating "rumors and slander."

"I turn once more to you with the affection and respect that you deserve and dream with a Brazil closer to the Gospel wishing to others what we want for ourselves. It is for this reason that I decided to put a definitive end to the campaign of slander and gossip spread by my political opponents," wrote Dilma in her letter.

Also on Friday, a group of 168 people, mostly religious, as well as teachers, intellectuals and artists, also released a manifesto criticizing rumors spread by the opposition and speaking in favor of the Worker's Party candidate. The Landless Workers' Movement (MST) also distributed a manifesto supporting the candidate which was titled "Let's elect Rousseff president of Brazil."

Source: http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/eleicoes2010/mat/2010/10/15/em-carta-dilma-faz-defesa-da-familia-se-diz-contra-aborto-922795957.asp

I know, annoying but necessary or she won't win. I don't personally believe that Dilma (nor Serra) is anti-choice. It is interesting that the newspaper that I have been citing here had a couple of articles in the past week with examples of how the abortion laws in Brazil actually cause harm to many women who die at the hands of illegal abortion clinics and I see these articles as implicit protests to the position that both candidates are taking on religious issues being raised at this point.

[rabs]

1. Too bad it has degenerated to this level

instead of dealing with the massive social issues that confront the country, as you pointed out in another thread.

Couple of days ago, I too thought to myself, "Gee, this is getting ugly."

An article either in estadao or JB said that a reporter for a business publication asked Dilma point-blank whether she was a lesbian. Dilma, not surprisingly, got pissed.

The common denominator now is drawing the Marina's vote that in large part seems to be hard-core evangelical. And that means the abortion, religion and the gay/lesbian controversies.

Que pena.

[Meshuga]

2. Que pena indeed

But I see the "I voted for Marina Silva but I regret it since she is now bringing up religious BS" complaints in the Brazilian message boards. In other words, seeming less "pious" might work for Dilma in the end.

[BolivarianHero]

3. No surprise...

When Assemblies of God people (Palinistas) and other religious wackos are involved in politics, the level of discourse and the respect for human dignity that ought to be central to politics gets shot to shit.

Growing fundamentalism in Latin America, sponsored by U.S. interets, poses a vast threat to progress in the region.