The spokesperson for PAN, Inês Sousa Real, stated on Saturday that “the sexual abuse of minors can never be normalized,” in a critique directed at Chega deputy Rita Matias.
“A 12-year-old who has been raped is a particularly vulnerable victim. They do not have their ‘own ideas,’ as Rita Matias claimed,” wrote Sousa Real, who is also the sole deputy for PAN, in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“The sexual abuse of minors can never be normalized, much less should it be used to argue against the practice of IVG [Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy],” she added.
Uma criança que é violada aos 12 anos é uma vítima particularmente vulnerável. Não tem as suas “próprias ideias”, como defendeu Rita Matias.
O abuso sexual de menores jamais pode ser normalizado e menos ainda para defender que em circunstância alguma se deve ser praticada a IVG.— Inês Sousa Real (@InesSousaReal) June 28, 2025
The remarks stem from an interview with Chega’s deputy on the program ‘Dois às 10’ on TVI, aired on Friday, where the topic of abortion was under discussion.
“Imagine one day you become a mother and your 12-year-old daughter is raped and becomes pregnant. Would you want her to continue the pregnancy?” asked host Cristina Ferreira.
“I would want my daughter not to be raped and for her attacker to receive the maximum sentence,” replied Rita Matias.
“And if that were to happen?” the host persisted.
“If it happened, I would need to understand what the next steps would be. As I said before, would she be physically able to have this baby? Would she be capable or not? Would she listen to me? Because at twelve, people also already have their own ideas,” responded the Chega parliamentarian.
The topic was raised in response to statements by Rita Matias in 2022 following a case in the United States where a 10-year-old child became pregnant after being raped. Confronted with the topic in an interview with Observador, the conservative deputy expressed opposition to abortion under any circumstances. “I am pro-life and regret that a new child has been prevented from being born,” she said.
“I deeply regret and find it absolutely lamentable and condemnable that a child finds themselves in such a situation. It reminds me of the work we have to do to promote human dignity,” she added.
Yesterday on TVI, Rita Matias argued that the question was biased and that, at the time, she admitted to not knowing the case well and did not feel “prepared” to respond.
“Forcing a child to have another child is also a violation of their rights,” Inês Sousa Real reminded on Twitter in reaction to Rita Matias’s interview.
Tomásia Sousa | 09:16 – 12/07/2022
“They attempted to bring up the case of an alleged young girl who became pregnant at 10 years old, and when I first heard about it, my immediate response was that I couldn’t take a stand on the case; I didn’t know if there were clinical conditions to carry the pregnancy to term, I didn’t know if the young girl was at risk, therefore, ethically, I didn’t feel prepared to respond to this,” Matias stated.
Cristina Ferreira interviewed the Chega deputy Rita Matias on the program ‘Dois às 10’ on TVI, Friday, June 27. At the end of the conversation, anticipating future criticism, she left a note.
Notícias ao Minuto | 09:13 – 28/06/2025
