Laura Fiora Rodríguez Riccomini (1 April 1957 – 18 July 1992) was a Chilean civil engineer and political activist from the Humanist Party. A co-founder of the party in 1984, she became its president at 32, the first woman to lead a political party in Chile. In 1989 she became the world's first Humanist to win a seat in parliament, representing La Reina–Peñalolén as part of the Concertación coalition, and that same year became the first woman nominated as a pre-candidate for the presidency of Chile.

As deputy, Rodríguez chaired the Chamber of Deputies' Health Committee and was a driving force behind Chile's first divorce-law bill, introduced in 1991 and enacted in 2004, as well as reforms to reproductive-rights and health-insurance legislation. Diagnosed with cancer in 1985 and again with a brain tumor in 1991, she spoke openly about her illness before dying in Santiago on 18 July 1992, at 35. The Laura Rodríguez Foundation was established in her memory that year, and in 2001 it created the annual Premio a la Coherencia ("Coherence Award") recognizing Chilean public figures.

Early life and education Rodríguez was born in Santiago on 1 April 1957. She was the daughter of Edgardo Luis Rodríguez Paolinelli and Livia María Riccomini Cianelli; among her friends she was known as "Lala".

She completed her primary and secondary education at the Scuola Italiana. She initially enrolled in architecture studies, entering with the highest admission score, but soon decided the field was not for her and transferred to study Civil Industrial Engineering at the University of Chile, from which she graduated in 1983 with top honors.

In her professional career, she provided consulting services in the development of social projects aimed at youth training and integration. She also served as director of the Centro de Estudios Humanistas (CEH).

Political career She began her political involvement during her university years. During that time, she presided over the "Community for Human Development" (Grupo de Silo), where she organized social and cultural work in various communes and regions of the country and promoted active nonviolence.

In 1984, she promoted the creation of the Humanist Party, in which she held different positions. At the age of 32, she became president of the party. That same year, the party merged with the Green Party to form the Humanist-Green Alliance, and she became the first woman to preside over a political party in Chile.

During the military regime, she participated in multiple opposition initiatives aimed at restoring democracy. She was a member of the executive team of Mujeres Integradas por las Elecciones Libres (MIEL). She also worked in the Women's Command for the "No" campaign in the 5 October 1988 plebiscite and was part of Mujeres por la Democracia.

In 1985, a routine mammogram revealed a tumor; she was operated on in Boston and continued her political work afterward, as the Humanist Party was taking shape and public awareness of women's role in Chilean politics was growing. In 1989, she was nominated as a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic within the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia, making her the first woman to be nominated as a pre-candidate for the Chilean presidency. That same year, at a meeting held in Florence, Italy, attended by delegations from 40 countries, she was elected Vice President of the Humanist International.

In the 1989 parliamentary elections, she ran for the Chamber of Deputies for District No. 24, representing the communes of La Reina and Peñalolén in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, for the 1990–1994 term. She obtained 40,526 votes, corresponding to 29.29% of the validly cast ballots.

Legislative work As a deputy, Rodríguez was known for her advocacy on behalf of discriminated groups, particularly women, people living with HIV, young people, and the elderly, and for her direct, outspoken style. She chaired the Chamber of Deputies' Permanent Health Committee and worked alongside health-sector workers and professionals with the government to reach agreement on legislation to improve conditions in that sector. She proposed legal reforms concerning reproductive rights and maternity protections, as well as amendments to the law governing Chile's private health insurers, the ISAPRE system.

One of the projects to which she was most committed was a bill to legalize divorce in Chile, drafted with the participation of women's organizations, students, unions, and academics. The bill was introduced in the Chamber of Deputies in May 1991; after roughly a decade of legislative debate, Chile's first divorce law was ultimately approved on 11 March 2004, more than a decade after her death.

Illness and death On 18 December 1991, Rodríguez underwent surgery after an invasive tumor was detected in her brain. She faced the diagnosis openly, discussing her illness on Chilean television programs and speaking publicly about death and the meaning of life while continuing to work in Congress. In May 1992, she attempted to attend the ceremonial opening of Congress to deliver a prepared speech but was unable to do so and returned to Santiago. She died at her home in Santiago on 18 July 1992, at the age of 35.

Legacy Laura Rodríguez Foundation In 1992, the Laura Rodríguez Foundation (Fundación Laura Rodríguez) was established as a nonprofit organization inspired by New Humanism, promoting the fight against all forms of discrimination and the full development of every human being. The foundation states its aim as keeping alive Rodríguez's motto — "facing the people, with one's back to parliament" — and continuing her advocacy for the rights of discriminated and marginalized groups.

Premio a la Coherencia Inspired by Rodríguez's reputation for consistency between her stated values and her actions, the foundation established the Premio a la Coherencia ("Coherence Award") in 2001. The award recognizes a Chilean public figure each year whose values are seen as enriching the country's political and social life. Recipients have included human-rights lawyer Carmen Hertz and judge Juan Guzmán Tapia.

Year Recipient Field 2001 Carmen Hertz Cádiz Human rights lawyer 2002 Nibaldo Mosciatti Moena Businessman, owner of Bío Bío Comunicaciones 2003 Andrés Aylwin Azócar Human rights lawyer, former deputy 2004 Paula Peláez Gómez Pediatrician, adolescent-health specialist 2005 Juan Guzmán Tapia Former judge of the Santiago Court of Appeals; presided over the "Pinochet case" 2006 Francisco Villa Castro Singer-songwriter Chilean student movement of 2006 Social movement for improved education 2007 Patricia Alejandra May Urzúa Anthropologist

Streets Two streets in Santiago bear Rodríguez's name: one in Peñalolén, formerly called Nueva 1, located in the commercial Ictinos neighborhood, and another in La Reina, on the boundary of Villa La Reina.

Personal life On 19 May 1978, Rodríguez married Darío Ergas Benmayor. They had one son, Simón.

References

External links Laura Rodríguez Foundation (in Spanish)