The Chilean deputies and the decriminalization of abortion: an approach from the critical analysis of discourse

Abstract

This article analyzes thirty-four speeches by Chilean deputies during the 50th session that was celebrated on July 20th, 2017. In that session, the topic was the decriminalization of pregnancy voluntary termination in three causes. The legislators’ interventions are understood as a type of legislative behavior that it is prominent in order to observe ideological positions about woman interests. The deputies` speeches were placed in a horizontal axis through a simple scale that evaluate the content of the interventions. This axis express ideological spectrum and discursive spectrum. The findings indicate that the legislators’ discourses (women and men) are consistent with the ideological position of the party which they are members. The article also proves that Chilean legislators acting according to the ideological platform of the party, but not on their own gender experiences when representing gender interests such as abortion.