Abstract
‘The law protects the life of those about to be born. The death penalty is only applied in [determined] cases of crimes’ – says the Constitution of Chile, which was developed and implemented by Augusto Pinochet’s military regime. Why must unborn life be protected while the lives of single persons can be exposed in the death penalty? And why was this regime, famously known for expansive economic liberalization, so concerned with protecting unborn life? These questions are addressed on the basis of two assumptions: (1) Life-protection may become a crucial element of neoliberal functioning; and (2) This protection requires an authoritarian state that acts against living subjects and represses reproductive rights. These assumptions are pursued through an analysis of the discussions on the right to life in the Constituent Commission, taking Hayek’s theory of the social as a theoretic background. In this way, the constellation in Chile contributes to a deeper understanding of authoritarian neoliberalism in its current forms.
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