Senate Suspends Conanda Resolution on Abortion Access for Minors

Overview

• The Senate approved a Projeto de Decreto Legislativo that suspends Conanda’s Resolution 258/2024, with the plenary vote concluding in a rapid, symbolic session on Tuesday and the measure now in force without presidential sanction.
• Because the action is a PDL it applies immediately but does not change the three legal grounds for abortion in Brazil: rape, risk to the pregnant person’s life, and anencephaly.
• Resolution 258 had set unified procedures used since January 2025, including permits for abortion of victims under 14 at any gestational age, removal of mandatory police reports or court authorization in some cases, and prioritizing the minor’s expressed will with Defensoria Pública or Ministério Público intervention when families disagree.
• Supporters led by deputy Chris Tonietto and relator senator Damares Alves argued the council exceeded its competence, while critics say the Senate vote was rushed, held with low attendance, and will fragment care across municipalities and hospitals.
• Conanda, the MDHC and rights groups condemned the suspension as a ‘grave retrocesso’; PSOL and civil-society organizations plan actions at the STF to try to reverse the measure as authorities and providers warn of greater barriers and uneven, potentially retraumatizing care for victims.