First Woman President of Chile Committed to Women's Rights
Michelle Bachelet was elected the first woman president of Chile this Sunday, beating out right-wing opponent Sebastian Pinera by a handy 7 percent. The vote was a runoff between Bachelet and Pinera after Bachelet won only 46 percent in the multiple-candidate December 11 election, failing to get the 50 percent necessary for victory.
Bachelet, an agnostic and a single mother, gained popularity as minister of health in 2000, when she revamped Chile’s moribund public health system. She instituted 24-hour health care to cut waiting times that had previously been as long as three months. In 2002, she was appointed Chile’s Defense Minister, the first woman in Latin America to hold the post.
A charismatic speaker, Bachelet campaigned on a leftist platform and spoke out for women’s rights. “It is unjust that [women] have less access to education and that, in some cases, our social legislation doesn’t address even our basic necessities,” she said, to explosive applause. “Women have been tossed aside for many years in this country—and it’s time for that to change.” As president, Bachelet plans to focus on improving public education, health services, and labor laws. She began on Monday to build her Cabinet – half of which, she promises, will consist of women.
6/19/2013 House Passes 20 Week Abortion Ban - Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks gestation in a vote of 228 to 196. . . .
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
