Mass protests that began in 2019 in Chile and have deep roots in the country’s militant history of resistance to neoliberalism are about to bring about a new constitution. This is an attempt to correct the constitution imposed under military dictatorship in 1980 (with the guidance of Milton Friedman and the so-called Chicago […]
How Chileans went from jumping subway turnstiles to rewriting the Constitution (Image by Waging Nonviolence)
While most Chileans want deep systemic change, the vote to create a new constitution is a historic moment in the struggle to undo the legacy of Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Jordan Flaherty
By Jordan Flaherty
Mass protests that began in 2019 in Chile and have deep roots in the country’s militant history of resistance to neoliberalism are about to bring about a new constitution. This is an attempt to correct the constitution imposed under military dictatorship in 1980 (with the guidance of Milton Friedman and the so-called Chicago Boys).
Mass protests that began in 2019 in Chile and have deep roots in the country’s militant history of resistance to neoliberalism are about to bring about a new constitution. This is an attempt to correct the constitution imposed under military dictatorship in 1980 (with the guidance of Milton Friedman and the so-called Chicago Boys).
The 1980 constitution ensures market rights over human rights. On May 15-16, Chileans will elect representatives for a new constitutional convention to rewrite this document. Voters will choose 155 drafters of this new constitution, which Chileans can then approve or reject in an “exit referendum” in 2022. The representatives will include 50 percent women, as well as 17 Indigenous representatives.
By Macarena Figueroa de la Fuente
In Latin America, March 8 is seen as a day of commemoration for those who are not present anymore, a day to fight, to demand equality in the most unequal region of the world, and a day to remember that women continue to be marginalized, discriminated, excluded, and murdered.
It is the fight to decide on their bodies, to demand significant changes, and to draw attention to the demands of millions of women in the region.
In Latin America, only Cuba and Uruguay have permitted the complete interruption of pregnancies. The majority of other countries allow it only under specific circumstances such as fetal unviability, the risk of life for the mother, or in the case of rape. Some countries like El Salvador, even punish women who interrupt their pregnancies with up to 8 years imprisonment. Argentina, Mexico, and Chile have recently spoken out strongly on this topic and introduced changes in their legislations.