The "Double Discourse" on Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Latin America: The Chasm between Public Policy and Private Actions

Abstract

This article examines how political controversies affect citizens' ability to exercise sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America. The article argues that societies accommodate conflicting views on sexuality and reproduction with a "double discourse system," which defends repressive or negligent public policies while privately tolerating unofficial and often illegal mechanisms that expand private sexual and reproductive choices. The examples of divorce policy in Chile and abortion policy in Colombia and Chile are highlighted to illustrate how this breach between public discourse and private actions operates in practice, and who is harmed by it. The article concludes by discussing the implications of this system for rights advocacy.