Voters are souring on Chile's second, conservative-led attempt at drafting a new constitution as a bid to further tighten the country's already restrictive abortion laws and other moves to the right threaten to turn off a majority of voters.
More than half of Chileans, 54% of respondents surveyed before the draft text was completed this week, plan on voting against the new constitution, according to pollster Cadem.
Lagos says there is still time to moderate the proposed constitution and consultancy Teneo warned "the entire process could collapse" before the December referendum if the council refuses to accept the expert commission's changes.The previous text, drawn up largely by left-wing candidates, would have been one of the world's most progressive charters, but was similarly criticized for being unrepresentative of society as a whole.
But Lagos says this change, combined with another proposal that would define a child as any human being under the age of 18, could clear the way for more restrictive abortion laws.At a rally commemorating the global day of action for access to safe and legal abortion last week in Santiago, 26-year-old student Isadora Calderón told Reuters she felt abortion rights were being threatened by the current proposals.
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