Evangelical congressman proposes stipend to cover costs of child rearing in the case of rape

Brazilian congressman Henrique Afonso has proposed a law that would require the Brazilian government to provide mothers who conceive during rape with a stipend to cover the costs associated with raising their child into adulthood. The bill would require the state to pay a minimum salary to the mother over a period of 18 years.

When asked to elaborate his on motives for proposing the new law Congressman Afonso stated, “We want to give financial incentives for women to have their children. Abortion, for evangelicals, is an act against life in all cases, whether the woman is at risk or if she was raped.”

Beyond providing a stipend for the mother, the bill would also provide funding for post-rape counseling. The counseling would inform these new mothers on the additional psychological trauma associated with abortion and accompany them through the trials of their pregnancy.

In Brazil, rape is one of the few exceptions for which a woman can legally abort her child.

All information taken from:
1. http://www.correio24horas.com.br/noticias/detalhes/detalhes-1/artigo/projeto-de-lei-podera-criar-o-bolsa-estupro-para-evitar-que-mulheres-abortem/
2. http://www.odiario.com/blogs/inforgospel/2011/12/09/evangelico-e-deputado-propoe-o-bolsa-estupro-para-evitar-o-aborto-confira/

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