Why Search for Noon at 2 PM?

In September I highlighted the legal changes in Chile regarding abortion and marriage equality. At the time, Chile’s recognition of legal abortion in cases of rape, incest, etc. looked institutionally secure, enshrined in law and approved by the high court. In contrast, legal recognition of marriage equality was still an unrealized goal, with a bill pending for debate and vote in Congress, subject to extreme uncertainty with elections upcoming in November. Well, after the follow-up run-off elections yesterday, the results are in. What are the prospects for Chile’s marriage equality bill? Sebastián Piñera won the presidential election yesterday. He is a right wing candidate and beat his opponent Alejandro Guillier. Alejandro Guillier, a center-left candidate, represented a continuation of the economic and social policies that President Michelle Bachelet implemented during her current tenure. Meanwhile, Sebastián Piñera, a billionaire former President and businessman, represented a...

Voters across the United States should support a ‘housing first’ approach to ending homelessness. Many American cities have already tested the housing first model and found that it works very well. Therefore, housing first should be expanded where it is already used on a small scale, and implemented where it is not public policy. [1] Despite the immediate costs and political resistance with building housing for chronically homeless people, the shift to putting homeless people in permanent, personalized shelter is justified on a range of grounds. Housing homeless people reduces the total public expense of housing, medical care, family services, and other welfare provided to such vulnerable people. Housing homeless people also increases their opportunities to live more productively, thereby generating before-unrealized personal and societal benefits. In addition to the additive public purse and utilitarian arguments, communities should change their approach to homelessness because ...