Aguiar-Branco defends continuous legislative debate in Portugal

José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, President of the Assembly of the Republic, stated that in a democracy, no law is exempt from debate once approved. He emphasized that controversial or 'fracturing' issues should not be removed from public discussion.

Speaking at a conference marking 20 years of the Medically Assisted Procreation Law, Aguiar-Branco noted that over 4% of children born annually in Portugal are conceived through these techniques. He highlighted that the law has been studied, scrutinized, and amended eight times over two decades, arguing that such scrutiny strengthens legislation rather than weakening it.

He cautioned against the imposition of taboos or the idea that certain subjects are permanently closed to discussion simply because they have been legislated.