The center-left government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had backed moves to legalize the practice that is estimated to be carried out 3 million times a year. The pro-abortion group wants to make the issue a question of public health.
However, the Catholic church has come out against the demands by launching an anti-abortion campaign in 2008. The controversial bill had been waiting for approval for 17 years.
Most abortions are conducted on married Catholics, according to a study by the universities of Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro state and the health ministry that was published this year in the press.
However, reports indicate that many women die because of inadequate procedures or follow-up.
The law only permits abortions in cases of rape and where the mother risks dying in childbirth. Abortion is a crime that could be punished with jail time.
