[São Paulo, Brazil — In the summer of 2023, Matheus, a 26-year-old nonbinary individual, terminated his pregnancy at a friend’s house. Matheus, who uses he/she pronouns, said he made the decision because he felt unsafe with the person he had sex with, and the pregnancy triggered his gender dysphoria.
In Brazil, abortions are criminalized, except in cases where the pregnancy is a result of rape, the life of the pregnant person is at risk, or in cases of fetal anencephaly. However, many gender and abortion rights activists told CNN that some cisgender women and trans men prefer to end their pregnancies illegally, even if they could qualify for the legal exceptions. This is because they avoid the stigma they have historically faced while seeking an abortion and the requisite assessments by a multidisciplinary health team, which can be arduous and traumatic.
As of 2023, 213 people in Brazil were prosecuted for self-inducing an abortion or performing an abortion with the person’s consent, according to the National Council of Justice. This has led to difficulties for both trans men and cisgender women, causing them to forget about legal abortion and pursue an illegal abortion.
Matheus, who is a trans man, bought misoprostol online and took the pills at a friend’s house, experiencing complications and eventually needing to be hospitalized. Another trans man, Antonio, had to rely on cheap herbal teas to attempt to avoid pregnancy, as he was unable to access abortion pills.
Brazil is a country that is known for its inclusion of transgender people, with the right to change one’s legal name and gender without undergoing surgery or professional evaluation since 2018. However, the trans community faces high rates of violence, with 350 transgender people reported murdered in Brazil between October 2023 and September 2024.
The ongoing discrimination against transgender people can have consequences for their access to medical care beyond abortion healthcare. For example, Matheus developed a vaginal yeast infection after his abortion but delayed seeking medical attention due to fears of the doctor discovering his abortion. When he did seek medical attention, he did not disclose his abortion, fearing he would be reported to the police.
The lack of understanding and stigma surrounding transgender individuals’ access to medical care is a systemic issue. “The system doesn’t understand a pregnant man,” said Dan Kaio Lemos, a trans activist and PhD candidate at the University of Brasília. “Many trans people are reluctant to access healthcare for fear of being asked inappropriate questions or not having their pronouns respected during medical exams.”
Some abortion rights activists are trying to build bridges between different groups. Tabata Tesser, who works with Catholics for the Right to Decide, is passionate about helping Brazilians with strong religious beliefs reconcile their beliefs with the need for sexual and reproductive healthcare for people of all genders.
Public awareness of the reproductive health needs of trans men is slowly growing. A march organized earlier in the year was attended by 10,000 people, with signs reading “Legal and safe abortion for everyone with a uterus!” and “Transmasculine people also have abortions!” The body autonomy exercised by trans people contributes to the fight for abortion rights for all in Brazil, said Lemos.
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