Guest Post by Julieta Arosteguy (FLACSO)

In August of last year, after teaching my first and only bioethics class of the semester, I was fired from my teaching position at the National University of San Martín (Argentina). I was told by the program’s officials that the reasons for my dismissal were my atheist, feminist, and pro-abortion views.

Before I was fired, I had taught bioethics for four years as an Adjunct Professor at the Childcare and Parenting Program (Puericultura y Crianza) of the National University of San Martín. Every year, I got excellent evaluations from my students.

The semester before I was fired, however, I discussed for the first time the “F.,A.L.” ruling of the Argentinean Supreme Court. In 2012, the Supreme Court decided on a case of abortion for the first time in its history. In the “F.,A.L.” ruling, the Supreme Court interpreted the criminal law that prohibits abortion, stating that access to abortion should be considered a right for all women when the pregnancy presents some risk for the woman’s life or health, or when the pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse. The Court ordered that all obstacles that prevent access to safe, legal abortions be removed. (You may find the decision here.)

Teaching the “F.,A.L.” ruling and Argentinean law on abortion in a program dedicated to women’s reproductive health care was my contribution to removing obstacles for the access to safe and legal abortion. As I found out the following semester, FUNDALAM, the NGO in charge of the program, closely linked to the Catholic “Opus Dei” group, was not pleased with my decision.

However, firing a person for her religious and political views is illegal in Argentina, and I took the case to court. Although the case is not yet settled, I was granted a cautionary order that mandates my restitution. The judicial order was issued in December last year, but neither FUNDULAM nor the University of San Martin has complied with it.

Giving a try viagra no prescription fast to a number of activities, did not prove to be fruitful & thus, the medical analyzers of Food & Drug Association (FDA). An Orlando massage therapist will tell you that somatic dysfunction can take effect even though the original factor that caused purchase levitra it is no longer present. The reason behind it is his inadequacy to free samples of cialis sustain erection for pleasurable lovemaking. Home remedies like oil massage and hair masks are also assumed beneficial to improve hair growth by providing the scalp skin with antioxidants generic viagra 100mg and antiseptic phyto-chemicals. Unfortunately, this story is only an example of the increasingly complex scenario for women’s sexual and reproductive rights in a country where the Catholic Church has been aggressively fighting to regain the power it lost after decades of democratic government. Like many other Latin American countries, Argentina has a strong Catholic tradition inherited from Spanish colonization. It has a strong secular tradition, too. Since its independence from the Spanish monarchy, the construction of a modern state has been accompanied by a steady – although slow – process of secularization. Many of the privileges that Argentina has given to Catholicism – such as a special legal status, or financial support for church officials – were granted by non-democratic, military governments.

Following the restoration of democracy, the Catholic Church was criticized for its complicity with the previous military governments. The social influence of the Catholic Church diminished as Argentina grew into a more tolerant society that embraced plurality and human rights. Many of the legal advances obtained in the democratic years, however, were strongly and publicly opposed by the Catholic Church. In the last few decades, and in spite of the Church’s active opposition, divorce, contraception, organ donation, same sex marriage, to name just a few salient achievements, became legal. Abortion, however, remains taboo.

In the more than thirty years since the return of democracy, many projects to legalize abortion were presented in Congress for discussion, but none has so far been debated. A deliberate silence has been imposed on the topic, which obstructs any attempt at political discussion. A few weeks ago, the head of the National Program for Responsible Reproduction and Sexual Health was dismissed for no public reason, a few days after the program published the new protocol on legal abortion that had been updated to meet the standards of the “F.,A.L.” ruling. Earlier this year, when the current Minister of Health expressed concerned for the public health consequences of abortion, he was publicly reprimanded and called to silence by government officials.

The election of an Argentinean Pope in 2013 has given the Catholic Church renewed social and political influence. Politicians are now eager to show their fidelity to the Pope, whom has suddenly become one of the most popular figures in mass media, pop culture, and even academia. In provinces like Catamarca and Mendoza, where the Provincial Education Law has been recently debated, the word “secular” was the main cause of dissent. Quietly, but unanimously, the Congress declared the national interest of the Vatican’s educational program Scholas Occurrentes. The public non-confessional National University of Tucumán will soon give Pope Francis an Honoris Causa doctorate. The public non-confessional Universities of Rio Cuarto, Córdoba, Tucumán, Cuyo, and La Pampa have recently offered mass to their students. Many other public universities exhibit Catholic icons in public places and have refused to remove them. The National University of San Martin has even started a new program for union leaders in collaboration with the Catholic Church.

The Catholic agenda is being introduced in democratic institutions with hardly any opposition, even though the Catholic agenda conflicts with human rights treatises signed by Argentina and many rights granted by law in the last decades of democratic government. Firing a teacher for promoting women’s rights is but one small example of the power that the Catholic Church has gained in the past few years. But it illustrates the extent of this power, and the impunity with which many officials now act.

Thanks to Stacie Thyrion, who read an earlier draft of this post.