The Development of 'Pro-Life' NGOs in Argentina: Three strategic movements

In Latin America, the agenda of sexual and reproductive rights advocated by the feminist and LGBTI movements has challenged the hegemony of the sexual order held by traditionalist sectors, especially the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and conservative evangelical churches. These religious groups have reacted, in turn, to arrest the advance of feminist and LGBTI agendas. Beyond conservative Catholic and evangelical hierarchies, opposition activists also include religious academic institutions, politicians, Christian lay movements, and civil society groups, among others, all committed to a more restrictive view of sexuality. One important strategy of this "Pro-Life" activism in recent years has been the conformation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This article offers an analysis of the emergence and development of "Pro-Life" NGOs in Argentina. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it examines three strategic movements made by these NGOs from the 1980s to the present: a state-political turn that favored strategies aimed to colonize the state and to impact sexual policies and the law; a blurring of religious identities; and a process of federalization and civil ecumenism.Fil: Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales. Centro de Investigaciones Juridícas y Sociales; Argentin

Introduction: Christianity, Gender, Sexuality and the Law in Latin America

The issues of gender, sexuality and reproduction have gained a strong public presence in Latin America in recent years. Political agendas have begun gradually to include topics related to LGBTI rights and access of people "especially women " to reproductive justice. In some cases, these processes have generated policies, laws and judgments favorable to women and LGBTI movements?s demands. For example, in recent years, countries as diverse as Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil allowed same-sex marriage, whether through the adoption of laws or by favorable rulings, after broad political and social debates. Other countries, including Ecuador, Costa Rica and Chile, still do not recognize same-sex marriage, but have allowed civil unions. Argentina and Bolivia also adopted laws of gender identity which, among other things, guarantee the right to recognition of self-perceived identity over the one assigned at birth. Moreover, in recent years, Uruguay and the Federal District of Mexico have legalized abortion under a trimester-based system, while other countries have expanded the decriminalized grounds for terminating a pregnancy voluntarily, despite maintaining the illegality of abortion.However, the successful expansion of rights with respect to gender, sexuality and reproduction, is not a linear process or free from controversy and backlashes. In 1997, for example, El Salvador banned abortion without exception, a decision emulated by Nicaragua in 2007. In 2015, the Peruvian Congress rejected the adoption of a civil union law. In addition, since at least 1998 Latin America has seen a wave of litigation and legislative processes against emergency contraception (Peñas Defago and Morán Faúndes, 2014). Some of these have been reversed. In Chile, a law was passed in 2010 during Michelle Bachelet?s first administration (2006-2010) allowing the public health system to provide emergency contraception, which reversed an unfavorable ruling of the Constitutional Court in 2008. In Honduras and elsewhere, however, bans on emergency contraception remain.Considering the ongoing and often public controversy around these issues, it is necessary to develop and deepen the frames through which we understand how these dynamics unfold in the region. To this end, the contributors to this special issue understand gender and sexuality as public and political fields characterized by tensions, disputes and struggles over power, including state power.Fil: Sáez, Macarena. American University; Estados UnidosFil: Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales. Centro de Investigaciones Juridícas y Sociales; Argentin

Exploring the meaning of disproportionate costs for the practical implementation of the Water Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is perhaps the most ambitious piece of environmental legislation in the history of the European Union. The Directive consolidates existing water-related legislation and has the stated objective of delivering good status (GS) for Europe’s surface waters and groundwaters. But meeting GS is cost dependent, and in some water bodies pollution abatements costs may be high or judged as disproportionate. The exact definition and assessment of disproportionate costs is central for the justification of time-frame derogations and/or lowering the environmental objectives (standards) for compliance at a water body. Official guidance is somewhat discretionary about the interpretation of disproportionate costs. Building on basic cost-benefit theory, this paper attempts to clarify the meaning of disproportionate cost to non-economists, and to convey a consistent interpretation that should underlie the development of a practical derogation decision making across all member statesDerogations, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), Marginal Abatement Costs (MAC), Marginal Social Costs (MSC), Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

La anticoncepción de emergencia en Chile: estructuración de su demanda en función de variables socioeconómicas

En enero del año 2010 se aprobó en Chile la ley 20.418 que restableció la entrega de la anticoncepción de emergencia (píldora del día después) en el servicio público de salud del país, luego de que su distribución fuese prohibida por el Tribunal Constitucional en el 2007. A más de un año de la entrada en vigencia de la ley, el Ministerio de Salud publicó datos oficiales acerca de la entrega de este método anticonceptivo para el año 2010, lo que abre nuevas posibilidades para comprender los niveles de accesibilidad y de demanda. El presente trabajo analiza por primera vez la estructuración de dicha demanda en el Sistema Nacional de Servicios de Salud, evaluando la incidencia de tres variables socioeconómicas: el estatus económico, el nivel de educación y la zona de residencia. Los resultados muestran que la tasa media de consultas por anticoncepción de emergencia en mujeres de 15 a 44 años fue de 2,53 consultas por cada 1.000 mujeres en edad fértil. Esta tasa llega a 4,27 en mujeres adolescentes de entre 15 y 19 años, y sólo a 2,1 en mujeres de 20 a 44. Los mayores niveles de demanda se sitúan en las comunas con indicadores socioeconómicos deficientes, esto es, alto porcentaje de población comunal con un ingreso autónomo bajo, importante proporción de personas sin educación secundaria completa, y un alto porcentaje de población residente en zonas rurales.Fil: Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Derecho y Cs.sociales. Centro de Invest. Juridicas y Sociales; Argentina

Géneros, transgéneros: Hacia una noción bidimensional de la injusticia

Las expresiones trans representan cuerpos, identidades, prácticas y experiencias que subvierten los patrones culturales de significación heteronormativa, lo que las posiciona fuera de los límites de inteligibilidad proporcionados por la cultura hegemónica. El presente artículo intenta reflexionar acerca de cómo las exclusiones que recaen sobre estas expresiones responden a una forma bivalente de injusticia. Tomando como paradigma el modelo bidimensional de justicia de Nancy Fraser, se argumenta que los dispositivos de marginalización que operan sobre las personas transgéneras tienen como punto de origen tanto una precaria valoración cultural, como una economía política regulada sobre la base de una división del trabajo fundada en la sexualidad.Fil: Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Continuous harvesting costs in sole-owner fisheries with increasing marginal returns

We develop a bioeconomic model to analyze a sole-owner fishery with fixed costs as well as a continuous cost function for the generalized Cobb-Douglas production function with increasing marginal returns to effort level. On the basis of data from the North Sea herring fishery, we analyze the consequences of the combined effects of increasing marginal returns and fixed costs. We find that regardless of the magnitude of the fixed costs, cyclical policies can be optimal instead of the optimal steady state equilibrium advocated in much of the existing literature. We also show that the risk of stock collapse increases significantly with increasing fixed costs as this implies higher period cycles which is a quite counterintuitive result as higher costs usually are considered to have a conservative effect on resources.Bioeconomic modelling; Stock collapse; Fixed costs; Pulse fishing; Cyclical dynamics; Increasing marginal returns

Improving the Accuracy of UK Regulatory Cost Estimates

UK Government departments are required to undertake a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) when introducing any policy change that places a burden on businesses, charities, the voluntary sector or individuals. Part of this assessment involves the appraisal of the costs (and benefits) associated with complying with all the available options, as well as the wider economic costs. Recent evidence has suggested that the compliance costs, when assessed ex post, tend to be lower than the ex ante assessment made beforehand (see e.g. Harrington et al 1999). Accurate cost estimates are important as errors can lead to under or over regulation. This, in turn, can result in growth and innovation being hindered or, in the case of under regulation, growth being achieved at the expense of the natural resource base (including human health and well being). In order to shed more light on the validity of RIA cost estimates and identify ways of improving their accuracy, Defra decided to commission a study comparing the ex ante and ex post costs of complying with regulatory changes. A total of eight case studies were carried out for this study, covering a range of recent environmental, agricultural and food-related regulations in the UK. Preliminary findings of this study indicate that while ex ante costs are often overestimated, there can also be significant underestimates. Reasons for errors in cost estimation are discussed and strategies for improving their accuracy suggested.Public Economics,

Life defenders? Of what ‘life’? a genealogical analysis of the concept of “life” held against abortion by the Catholic hierarchy

En las últimas décadas, las acciones por la legalización de aborto se han fortalecido en las agendas de los movimientos latinoamericanos que buscan el pleno reconocimiento de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos. En este contexto, y desde una posición reactiva, la jerarquía de la Iglesia Católica se ha posicionado como uno de los principales opositores a esta demanda. Buscando mantener un orden jurídico contrario al reconocimiento de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos en general, y del derecho al aborto en particular, la jerarquía vaticana ha desarrollado un discurso fundamentado sobre la idea de la “defensa de la vida”, conjugando elementos científicos y jurídicos que pretenden presentarlo como una verdad objetiva y neutral. En el presente artículo reconstruimos y analizamos críticamente esta idea de “vida”, comprendiéndola no como una verdad imparcial e irrefutable, sino como una producción política que opera amparándose en discursos de “Verdad” que pretenden incidir jurídica y socialmente.Nas últimas décadas, as ações pela legalização do aborto se fortaleceram nas agendas dos movimentos latino-americanos que procuram o pleno reconhecimento dos direitos sexuais e reprodutivos. Neste contexto, e de uma posição reativa, a hierarquia da Igreja Católica se posicionou como um dos principais opositores a esta demanda. Procurando manter uma ordem jurídica contrária ao reconhecimento dos direitos sexuais e reprodutivos em geral, e do direito ao aborto em particular, a hierarquia vaticana desenvolveu um discurso fundamentado na ideia da “defesa da vida”, conjugando elementos científicos e jurídicos que pretendem apresentá-lo como uma verdade objetiva e neutra. No presente artigo, reconstruí- mos e analisamos criticamente esta ideia de “vida”, compreendendo-a não como uma verdade imparcial e irrefutável, mas sim como uma produção política que opera se amparando em discursos de “Verdade” que pretendem incidir jurídica e socialmente.In recent decades, actions in support of legalizing abortion have been strengthened within the agendas of Latin American movements demanding for full recognition of sexual and reproductive rights. In this context, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has stood out, reactively, as one of the main opponents to this demand. With the purpose of maintaining a legal order against sexual and reproductive rights in general, and the right to abortion in particular, the Vatican hierarchy has developed a discourse based on the idea of the ‘defense of life,’ combining scientific and legal elements in order to present that argument as a neutral and objective truth. In this paper we reconstruct and analyze critically this idea of ‘life,’ understood not as an impartial and irrefutable truth, but as a political production which mobilizes discourses of ‘Truth’ seeking to impact on legal and social spheres.Fil: Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales.; ArgentinaFil: Peñas Defago, Maria Angélica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales.; Argentin