Brazils Third National Human Rights Program raised a controversy in relation to previous programs by proposing to pass a bill to decriminalize abortion on grounds of womens autonomy to decide on matters pertaining to their own bodies. The article presents an anthropological analysis of this debate based on three materials: a document search aimed at comparing the focus of the current and previous programs, a survey of print and electronic media stories covering the controversy, and ethnographic observation of events in which abortion is discussed in relation to human rights. The study maps the main actors in this controversy. Demands for recognition of human rights involve the clash between pro-life groups, who defend the fetus right to life, and the feminist movement, demanding decriminalization of abortion as a womans right.