{"id":29885,"date":"2021-03-08T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redpepper.org.uk\/?p=29885"},"modified":"2026-02-28T13:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T13:03:17","slug":"chile-feminist-green-wave-abortion-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redpepper.org.uk\/political-parties-and-ideologies\/feminism\/chile-feminist-green-wave-abortion-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"In Chile, a feminist green wave rises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u2018estallido social<\/a><\/em>\u2019 (social explosion) that kicked off in October 2019 was the largest outpouring of discontent witnessed in Chile since the Pinochet era. While the initial protests\u00a0were sparked by a seemingly innocuous 30-peso hike in metro fares, they have come to reflect a much deeper malaise with the country\u2019s economic and political model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Minister of Economy Juan Andr\u00e9s Fontaine told working-class Chileans to get up earlier<\/a> to avoid the new prices, the people retorted: \u2018no son 30 pesos, son 30 a\u00f1os<\/em>\u2019 (\u2018it\u2019s not 30 pesos, it\u2019s 30 years\u2019), referencing the three decades that have passed since Pinochet left office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, the harsh neoliberal model implemented by the Pinochet regime has remained virtually intact. Thanks to the actions of hundreds of thousands of protestors, however, change may finally be coming: in October 2020, an overwhelming majority of Chileans voted to replace the Pinochet era constitution, with the new one written by a body elected by the people. For many Chilean feminists, the moment presents an opportunity to constitutionally enshrine a fundamental right: women\u2019s right to choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women vs the state<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The roots of Chile\u2019s persisting gender inequality and denial of reproductive rights stem from the doldrums of the Pinochet regime. In a last act before the regime ended in 1990, Jaime Guzman \u2013 \u2018godfather\u2019 of Chile\u2019s socio-political model and member of hard-line catholic sect, Opus Dei \u2013 helped to legally enshrine<\/a> the rights of the foetus. Still today, Chilean women face five years in prison for receiving an abortion \u2013 one of the most draconian policies<\/a> in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minimal steps made<\/a> by former President Michelle Bachelet \u2013 who legalised abortion if there was risk to the life of the mother, if the foetus was unviable or if the pregnancy was a result of rape and no more than 12 weeks had passed \u2013 were met with furious opposition. Chile\u2019s Catholic Church released an 18-page statement against decriminalised abortion, warning that the country would be fostering a \u2018culture of death<\/a>\u2019. In 2018, President Sebastian Pi\u00f1era rolled back this amendment by allowing medical professionals to object<\/a> to abortion on religious grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still today, Chilean women face five years in prison for receiving an abortion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, spurred on by the success of the \u2018estallido<\/em>\u2019, Chile\u2019s feminist movement is fighting back. Andrea Alvarez from pro-abortion rights group<\/a> Mesa de Acci\u00f3n por el Aborto en Chile<\/em> told Red Pepper<\/em>: \u2018We are currently developing a bill for access to safe and free abortion. A coalition of groups including La Mesa, along with other feminists, are working with cross-party left-wing MPs to present this bill to parliament.\u2019 That new bill<\/a> would be a huge step in the right direction, although it is limited to the decriminalisation<\/a> of abortion \u2013 it does not guarantee state provision of services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, the campaign for reproductive rights faces major structural and legal obstacles. Minister of Women and Gender Equity Monica Zalaquett is a staunch anti-abortionist who challenged even Bachelet\u2019s minor amendments to Pinochet\u2019s abortion law. Zalaquett also controversially applauded the \u2018bravery<\/a>\u2019 of an 11-year-old girl who had been raped and gave birth after being denied an abortion in 2013. When Pi\u00f1era appointed Zalaquett in June 2020, it was to replace the even more controversial<\/a> appointment of Macarena Santelices, Augusto Pinochet\u2019s great-niece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chile\u2019s current Minister of Social Development and Family, Karla Rubilar, further communicated the government\u2019s hostile sentiment towards amendments to the existing law by declaring<\/a>: \u2018The government is against free abortion. where there is no reason other than the decision of the woman to be able to interrupt her pregnancy\u2026. the government [view] on this matter is clear.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A green tide rises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Chile\u2019s population has grown ever more disillusioned<\/a> with traditional party politics, however, grassroots movements have grown from strength to strength. Chile\u2019s feminists have gained monumental traction and played an instrumental role in the struggle to oust the stifling Pinochet constitution. Last March, one million<\/a> women took to the streets in protest, with numbers expected to swell this year. The green bandana popularised by Argentinian feminists, who successfully campaigned to legalise<\/a> abortion in 2020, has been adopted as their symbol of resistance, women\u2019s rights and equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alvarez explains: \u2018When the network of Latin American feminists launched the green bandana campaign, we took it onboard in Chile. We have seen more and more women adopting this symbol, on the streets and public transport. It\u2019s gaining strength particularly on key dates like the 8 March, International Women\u2019s Day, and also featured strongly during the social uprising of 2019.\u2019 She continues, highlighting the continental spread of the symbol: \u2018We have staged various events like panuelazos<\/em> [publicly wearing the green bandanas] to give greater visibility to abortion issues, not just here but across Latin America, each time gaining more support.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite an overwhelming imbalance<\/a> of power firmly weighted against the people of Chile in the legislature and judiciary, and a raft of new laws designed to criminalise<\/a> dissent, a new generation of protesters remain defiant. While the Pi\u00f1era administration will undoubtedly try to usurp the potential of the new constitution, his government will not quell the rising tide of Chile\u2019s muscular, feminist green wave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Chile rewrites its Pinochet-era constitution, feminists are seizing the opportunity to legally enshrine women’s reproductive rights. Carole Concha Bell reports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":29887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,145],"tags":[2688],"class_list":["post-29885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feminism","category-latin-america","tag-carole-concha-bell"],"yoast_head":"\nIn Chile, a feminist green wave rises - Red Pepper<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Chile rewrites its Pinochet-era constitution, feminists are seizing the opportunity to legally enshrine women's reproductive rights\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.redpepper.org.uk\/political-parties-and-ideologies\/feminism\/chile-feminist-green-wave-abortion-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Chile, a feminist green wave rises - 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