São Paulo Court Upholds R$24.85 Million Fine Over Denial of Legal Abortions

Overview

• The 5th Chamber of the São Paulo Court of Justice unanimously upheld the R$24.85 million sanction on Wednesday for the city’s failure to follow a judicial order guaranteeing access to legal abortion.
• The amount corresponds to a R$50,000 daily fine applied for 497 days between January 22, 2024 and June 2, 2025 and will be paid into the State Fund for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (FEDCA).
• The case began after the Hospital e Maternidade Vila Nova Cachoeirinha stopped providing legally permitted abortions in December 2023, a service the hospital later resumed in March 2026.
• Judges relied on medical reports and a Defensoria Pública technical note that documented repeated denials of care and failures to refer survivors of sexual violence, findings the relator said amounted to revictimization and gender‑based violence.
• The municipal government says it will seek further appeals, arguing services were reorganized and the penalty was excessive, while the decision tightens judicial oversight of municipal health management and directs funds to projects for child and adolescent victims of sexual violence.