Overview

• Berrino ignited protests in the Senate by calling women who have children to evade prison “not worthy” of motherhood.
• Opposition senators denounced his language as cruel and staged show-of-force protests, with calls for official censure.
• The draft security decree would remove the mandatory delay of imprisonment for pregnant women and new mothers, making it subject to judicial discretion.
• Berrino insisted his proposal appoints judges to assess if a child is safer in prison than at home with delinquent parents as a last resort.
• Lawmakers remain divided over the measure, with critics warning it could harm maternal and child welfare despite targeting abuses of the current system.