MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula remark on medical exams sparks controversy five days before the vote

“Men don't like to have the prostate test. They don't like the touch. Women learn to receive touch from a young age. Men don't, they're full of hang-ups,” he said

A remark by Brazilian President and re-election candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva about men's reluctance to undergo prostate examinations has sparked a controversy in the final stretch of the campaign, after opposition figures linked it to child sexual abuse. Lula's campaign has taken the matter to the Superior Electoral Court.

Lula spoke on Monday at an event in Belém, capital of Pará state, after the first robotic prostate surgery carried out by the public health system in the country's north. “Men don't like to have the prostate test. They don't like the touch. Women learn to receive touch from a young age. Men don't, they're full of hang-ups. They don't know that when they get prostate cancer, they'll be touched a lot,” he said. In the same speech he recalled that his mother died of cancer.

Liberal Party deputy Nikolas Ferreira responded on X: “A little girl doesn't learn to receive any touch, Lula!” Other figures from the party, whose candidate is Flávio Bolsonaro, joined the criticism, and messages linking the remark to the abuse of minors spread on the platform.

Lula's coalition filed an action on Tuesday with the Superior Electoral Court against Ferreira's posts, accusing him of attributing a sexual connotation to the statement. According to the campaign, the president was speaking about public health and comparing male reluctance over prostate exams with the gynaecological check-ups women undergo from puberty.

The first round of Brazil's election takes place on Sunday, October 4.