Illegal abortions being investigated in Brazil
Published:Friday | November 21, 2008 | 9:48 AM
The authorities in Brazil are investigating more than 1,200 women suspected of having had abortions in a clinic in the state of Mato Grosso Do Sul.
Some 150 women have been charged and at least 30 have been sentenced to do community work.
Abortion in Brazil is illegal except in cases of rape or when the life or health of the mother is at risk.
The large-scale investigation has prompted protests from human rights organisations and women\'s groups.
The family planning clinic at the centre of this controversy operated for more than 20 years in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande before closing in 2007.
Human rights and women\'s organisations have complained that the process has been humiliating for those involved, and has included demands for intimate medical examinations.