Abstract
This article analyses the presence of Catholic morals in two public hearings in Brazil’s Supreme Court. The first one was the ADI 3510, which judged the liberation of the use of embryonic stem cells in research. The second action judged the liberation of interruption of pregnancy of anencephalic ferns. The presence of agents of the CNBB was observed in the two process, producing justifications to the “defense of life”, trying to give the human status to the embryo/fetus. To understand the controversy in these arenas, our analysis will also extend to the observation of the wider controversy, identifying the repertories of justification produced by two blocks (favourable and against) in the actions, especially regarding life category in these disputes.
Keywords
Catholic Church; human life; moralities; public sphere