President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) sanctioned, with vetoes, this Thursday (9) a bill with rules for the return of pregnant women to face-to-face work.
The Chief Executive vetoed the provision of maternity salary payment for pregnant women who have not completed the immunization and who cannot perform remote work. It also did it for women who had an interruption of pregnancy — the law provided for payment of the benefit from the beginning of the leave until 120 days after childbirth or a longer period, in cases of extension.
The two vetoes were at the request of the Ministry of Economy, as published in the Official Gazette this Thursday (10). According to the ministry, the granting of the benefit is different from what is determined by law for maternity assistance, and jeopardizes the sustainability of the Social Security system.
According to government officials, if implemented, the measure would cost the public coffers around R$40 million a month. By the end of the year, the account would reach approximately R$ 400 million.
The law modifies one of May 2021, which determined that, during a pandemic, the pregnant woman should remain away from work in person, without prejudice to her remuneration.
The text now regulates the return of pregnant women to face-to-face activity. He says that this will occur after completing the immunization — more than 70% of the Brazilian population is vaccinated.
The law passed by Congress in February and sanctioned by Bolsonaro on Thursday also provides for the return of pregnant women who have not been immunized against Covid-19, under one condition.
According to the new rule, in these cases, the pregnant woman must sign a term of commitment and free consent to return to face-to-face work.
The employee must also commit to complying with all preventive measures adopted by the employer.
As the parliamentarians justify the law, highlighted by Palácio do Planalto, the possibility of returning in person to pregnant women who refuse the vaccine is “an expression of the fundamental right of freedom of individual self-determination”.
In addition to not having been vaccinated, the president has a long history of criticizing immunization, despite scientific evidence proving its effectiveness.
More recently, it has modulated the discourse, following electoral appeals from allies. Bolsonaro has high rejection among women and seeks reelection in October.
When the law that determined the removal of pregnant women was approved in April last year, Brazil was experiencing a high level of maternal deaths from Covid-19.
The number more than doubled in the first 13 weeks of 2021 from last year’s weekly average. It went from 10.4 deaths (449 deaths in 43 weeks of the 2020 pandemic) to 22.2 in the first weeks of this year, with 289 deaths.
When voting on the text in February, the Chamber rejected amendments made by senators, which sought to soften the bill.
One of the changes discarded by the rapporteur, deputy Paula Belmonte (Citizenship-DF), intended to exclude pregnant women with comorbidities who are in a risk group for the coronavirus from the chances of returning to face-to-face work according to the National Immunization Plan.
In addition, the senators had excluded the possibility that the pregnant woman would not choose to be immunized and return to face-to-face work.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
