Last week, Peruvian Congresswoman Milagros Jáuregui de Aguayo presented a bill that would eliminate the crime of femicide and instead classify the murder of spouses or cohabitants under the principle of equality before the law.
According to Jáuregui—who, along with her husband, has been a pastor for more than 30 years working to unite families—the aim is to avoid gender discrimination and guarantee equal treatment in criminal legislation. The bill proposes modifying the current definition of femicide, which states that it applies when a man kills a woman “because she is a woman,” to instead cover cases where a person kills their spouse or partner. If approved, the new crime of “partner killing” would include contexts such as family violence, sexual coercion, abuse of power and any form of discrimination.
“The crime of femicide carries a sentence of up to life imprisonment for a man who murders his partner. However, the same crime does not receive the same sentence when the victim is a man. The proposal seeks to restore equal punishment for the same crime. That is why we have maintained the contexts, aggravating circumstances and penalties of the crime of femicide,” Jáuregui said, according to the website of the Congress of the Republic.
If the proposal is approved, the penalty “will be applicable to both men and women, based on the constitutional principle of equality before the law and non-discrimination,” she said.
The following day, the forum “Cultural Battle: How to Confront the Advance of Globalism and Rescue Traditional Values” took place in the Congress of the Republic, where Jáuregui allegedly referred to people who identify as nonbinary as “animals.” According to information from the congresswoman’s office, her words were taken “out of context” and “manipulated” by progressive sectors. Her political party also defended her, maintaining the same stance.
In response to Jáuregui’s speech and proposed legislation, Congresswoman Susel Paredes filed a complaint accusing her of violating the Constitution and committing the crime of discrimination. Paredes announced on social media that she had filed “a constitutional complaint against Milagros Jáuregui de Aguayo for violation of the Constitution and the crime of discrimination since she claimed that LGBTQ+ people ‘behave like animals.’” She also described Jáuregui’s comments as “hate speech” and stated that such remarks are “unacceptable, even worse coming from an authority.”
In the controversy over Jáuregui’s comments, she is also reported to have questioned same-sex relationships, describing them as lacking “true love” and being about “lust and lechery.” Her remarks sparked outrage among the LGBTQ+ community, its organizations and representatives such as Paredes, who is transgender. They argue that “these kinds of statements not only reveal a lack of knowledge about human rights and diversity but also foster hatred and intolerance,” according to Infobae.
One of the most progressive faith communities in Latin America, the Lutheran Church of Peru, publicly opposed Jáuregui’s defense. The church stated that it “categorically” rejects the congresswoman’s statements, arguing that she “not only ignores loving relationships between people of the same sex” but also “abuses her congressional position” by “lying shamelessly” and “seeking approval from anti-rights sectors, taking advantage of existing LGBTphobia.” The statement was published on the church’s official Facebook account.
Additionally, the church argued that “Mrs. Aguayo’s dogmatic position does not represent Christianity; many Christian denominations, including Lutherans, Methodists and free communities, value LGBT+ lives as a blessing from the Divine to our communities.”
On the other hand, the Ibero-American Congress for Life and the Family issued a statement expressing solidarity with Jáuregui, affirming that she “carries out an intense and formidable legislative effort in defense of life and family in Peru, setting an example for the nations of the continent with consistency and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.”
The document claims that opposition to her stance comes from groups seeking to challenge traditional values, stating that “self-proclaimed progressive groups violate the law to insist on ‘new rights.’” It also accuses these groups of “attacking the rule of law and the conventionality of international treaties.”
“The Ibero-American Congress recognizes and supports the extraordinary legislative work of the congresswoman, the intense social work of the citizen, and the tireless ministerial work of the pastor, Milagros Jáuregui de Aguayo, who leaves a great legacy for our beloved Peru and the nations of the continent,” the letter concludes. It was signed by the organization’s president, Aarón Lara Sánchez, along with its Advisory Council and national coordinators.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition
