“I do not share the announcement of the abortion law. “Nothing is more contrary to respect for Human Rights than allowing the death of innocent people,” he said. the President of the Senate, José García Ruminot a The counterwho until that minute highlighted the speech of the Head of State, Gabriel Boric, since it included a “common agenda on many issues that concern citizens, such as security, health, education, pensions, growth and employment.”
The words of the second political authority in the country, who in Congress is known for his articulating role and moderation, illustrate how tension and discomfort took over the Hall of Honor of the National Congress when the President assured that “during the second semester of “This year we will introduce a legal abortion bill.”
After hearing the phrase, deputy Eduardo Durán (RN) got up from his seat to leave the place. Meanwhile, President Boric tried to “come out playing” and improvisedly reproached the congressman: “It is not strange that on this issue it is a male representative who has left the room, because the women of Chile deserve their right to decide.”
But his words were like an incentive for the opposition. And seconds later his pair of benches left the room. Miguel Mellado (RN). And then the legislators joined Henry Leal (UDI), Gustavo Benavente (UDI), Francesca Muñoz and Sara Concha (PSC), and Agustín Romero from the Republican Party.
“He is the instigator of murdering babies”
“He is the instigator of the murder of babies (…) We come with the best, peaceful, democratic spirit, to listen to the President’s public account, but when his words violate us, and violate a large number of Chileans, whom we represent, people “That with your vote you put us here to defend your rights, we have to express our displeasure,” said the deputy. Eduardo Durannow outside Congress.
According to senators from the ruling party and the opposition, the words of Garcia Ruminot They were quite representative. “Up to that point we were going quite well, but I had to make a gesture to my own people,” says an official parliamentarian who requests that his name be reserved.
The socialist senator Fidel Espinoza coincides with the previous vision. “It has been a very good speech, especially for the region (of Los Lagos) with five great works that were tremendously desired, a double track to the Chacao canal, the return of the train to Puerto Montt (…) the hospitals in Ancud and Quellón” .
And he added: “(…) the abortion thing clouds the discourse, because I think it was settled in the discussion of the constituent process when they raised the issue (…) and there we lost 4 million votes, which obviously went to the opposition (…) Not understanding that, this stubbornness on the part of some sectors, of wanting to continue insisting on an issue that has no political viability in Parliament, seems to us to be a bad idea in this Presidential speech.”
The senator and former president of the Medical College, Juan Luis Castro (PS) He added that “having respect for all positions on abortion, today the focus is not so much there, but on security problems, social reforms, health, pensions and economic problems. “I understand that this is a campaign commitment, but I don’t see enough political space, nor enough votes for this to prosper.”
“They are very sensitive matters for them to put on a show”
The senator and former secretary general of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza (PS)agrees that there were a series of initiatives that “loved the speech,” but warned The counter:
“Look, abortion and euthanasia are issues about the vision of the world and humanity that each person has. I, at least, think it is wrong to say I am a supporter of abortion. I am in favor of legislating on abortion, because abortion occurs anyway and, unfortunately, the people who suffer the most are those who do not have the means to pay for an abortion. So, I am in favor of regulating abortion. Regarding euthanasia, I confess that I am going to make my decision when the law comes to me (…)”, said the senator from Arica.
The situation that occurred in the Hall of Honor was also not pleasant for a countryman of the President: the senator from Magallanes, Karim Bianchi (Ind).
“Abortion and euthanasia are two separate topics, I have no problems discussing them. These are very sensitive matters for a sector to make a show about two topics that we can discuss civilly,” Bianchi reproached.
“The President is speaking to his 30%”
In the opposition the evaluations are, by the way, with reproaches that are a little more analytical. Asked about the most controversial issue in the public account, the senator and president of Democrats, Ximena Rincón, He pointed out that the part of the speech about abortion was a message to his people, a “smokescreen or step on the stick and start talking about abortion effect, and that the issues that concern people are no longer talked about.”
“In addition, he managed to get a group of parliamentarians to leave the room; That another small group would stand up furiously to applaud, and others of us would watch, taking a stage, the show that the Head of State was putting on with his fans and detractors. A pathetic spectacle, but the President achieved the objective,” said the legislator and former Minister of Segpres.
Known by Matías Walker (DEM) He placed among “what is valuable” what refers to the security agenda, the ratification of the Fast Track agenda and the fight against crimes that are committed from prisons; while in the antipodes of that he placed that “the speech did not speak to all Chileans”, but was rather an “identity” speech marked by a broad abortion motion “does not have the support of the majority of citizens ”
“This shows that the President is speaking to his 30%. The same when, instead of calling all Chileans to a country project, he calls for the unity of progressive forces (…) the speech did not speak to all Chileans,” said the Democrats parliamentarian.
“It is a low blow, it tarnishes any account announcement”
The UDI Senators Committee evaluated a series of measures regarding public security and highlighted the republican tone with which President Boric began his speech. However, some legislators commented that at the end of the speech the “deputy Boric” began to emerge, alluding to his years as a parliamentarian where he identified with rather “identity” matters.
“The speech had positive and negative aspects. Positive when they say that they have invested in security and how they have tried to move forward. (…) negative is that he cared about speaking to his audience, that scarce 20% of support that he has when dealing with matters such as abortion, euthanasia and other issues that only matter to a small group (…) he has to understand that he has “We have to speak to Chile, not just to its adherents,” stressed the UDI senator, Sergio Gahona.
He is also a congressman Iván Moreira (UDI) He appreciated “the abandonment of that bullshit speech,” but regretted that all the valued initiatives “are tarnished” by free abortion.
“It had some positive things, but they were tarnished with the announcement of the free abortion law. In a country where fewer and fewer children are being born, it is a contradiction to seek an abortion law without causes. The president is wrong. The evangelical world, the Christian world, the citizens are not going to support this project and clearly the announcement is a low blow. The first half of the speech tried to be a statesman, president of the Chileans, but in the second half of the president in his public account what he did was act as campaign manager of the left,” Moreira maintained.
“It seems like a joke in bad taste, it has no political basis”
The face of the senator from Santiago was also seen annoyed and surprised, Manuel José Ossandon (RN) for whom the public account was irrelevant. The legislator, considered one of the most liberal in his sector, considered it in bad taste to talk about the interruption of pregnancy and a move that seemed to him to seek to divert attention.
“With a Government that has minorities in Congress, presenting a free abortion project seems like a bad joke because it has no political floor. I think that in the face of the lack of substantial proposals, the President turned to some issues, such as abortion and euthanasia, pto divert attention and bring water to the hardest sectors of the Broad Front“, he analyzed in this medium.
The senator for Valparaíso Kenneth Pugh (RN) He highlighted six presidential proposals, including strengthening public security, the police, a new State intelligence system, the national shipbuilding policy, among others. However, he had surprises and an “objection”.
“I was surprised that he is available to propose that 1% of the budget go to Culture, but leave behind the research and development budget, which is what gives growth opportunities to the country, which today is at 0.2%. And what is objectionable and questionable is the announcement of the legal abortion bill this year, and the urgency of the Euthanasia bill,” the congressman reproached.