Guatemalan Congress Vote in Favor of Arguably Unconstitutional Law

Living in a fairly liberal bubble within the western world, I often forget that there are places in the world in which seemingly basic human rights are not granted to countries’ inhabitance. In much of Latin America, there are laws prohibiting same-sex marriages as well as access to legal abortions. Just last week, Guatemalan congress voted in favor of a law legally banning same-sex marriages for their citizens. Abortions were already banned, but this new law would increase the amount of prison time for women who are seeking an abortion.

In addition to the prohibition of same-sex marriages and abortions, congress’s law would disallow the acknowledgment and teaching of sexual and gender diversity in schools. Out of the 160 congressmen, only 8 of the lawmakers voted against what is being referred to as the "Life and Family Protection Law.”Like in the United States, in order for this law to actually come into practice, Guatemala’s conservative president, President Alejandro Giammatte must sign the law.

While it is fairly safe to assume that this law will pass considering Giammatte’s more conservative beliefs, Guatemalan opposers like Lucrecia Hernández are doing their best to prevent the law from being signed, sighting that it is unconstitutional.

Comments

Dresden Museum Heist

In November 2019, 4,300 gems were stolen from the Green Vault Museum in Dresden in a high-profile burglary. The gems, which make up 21 different pieces, are worth more than 113 million euros and have impressive historical significance. Ministry of Culture officials have gone so far as to say that the jewels possess "priceless material value." Six men have been arrested in Germany and are facing charges. The defendants are all under the age of 30 and are charged with gang theft and arson, among other things. Each of the six men could serve up to 10 years in prison for the crimes they are accused of. These defendants are not only linked by their young age, but also by the fact that they share the same organized crime family, the "Remmo Clan". The Remmo clan is Germany's most notorious crime family and has plagued the country since the late 20th century. Each of the 6 Remmo Clan men were charged for their crimes and are now serving their sentences in German priso...

Drought Plagues Iran

While Hassan Rouhani closes out his term as President of Iran, the Islamic Republic is facing a serious water shortage. Rouhani has enlisted the government to aid areas that have been the most seriously impacted by the drought. Many report that the drought is a direct cause of global warming. I found it interesting that Iran, a country that supplies much of the world's oil (a fossil fuel), is experiencing first hand the effects of climate change, something that is caused- in part- by the burning of fossil fuels around the world. The drilling required to harness the oil has also impacted the natural landscape of the country, disrupting ecosystems and artificially carving away at the land. Because Iran’s economy, as well as the world’s oil needs rely so heavily on the exportation and distribution of oil, it is not as though Iran will implement tactics to minimize the exportation of this oil in the face of the drought. While the drought is certainly a result of environmental factors, ...

Grant Proposal Reflection

For my grant proposal, I worked alongside Jackie Sabbag in our work with the organization, I Am a Girl. In our proposal, we asked for $4250 to fund an essential research project out of Mbarara, Uganda. This research will ultimately identify the best (most sustainable, culturally acceptable, and easily used) menstrual product for young Ugandan girls experiencing period poverty. Jackie and I felt incredibly nervous leading up to our project, as the responsibility of representing an organization is a very large task. Because this project extends so far beyond me or Jackie, we did our best to approach our presentation with the understanding that what we were saying to the judges carried real weight. We had to work hard to narrow in on what was most important to share with the judges during our 3-minute window. Right before giving our presentation, Jackie and I had to make some very last-minute tweaks to ensure that we would stay within the time constraints. Receiving the grant ...

International Musings

Search This Blog