Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría is a

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

politician, who served as the nation's 2nd Vice President, under

Luis Guillermo Solís Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera (; born 25 April 1958) is a Costa Rican politician and educator who was the 47th President of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018. He is a member of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC). Solís led the field in the 2014 pre ...

2014–2018, and as Ambassador in Spain, under Carlos Alvarado. Her political career is dedicated to issues of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, and public health policy. Previously a cabinet minister and deputy, Chacón has also served on numerous committees and conferences on the national and international level.

Personal life

Chacón was born in San José on 11 November 1961 to Luis Manuel Chacón, a former leader in the

Social Christian Unity Party The Social Christian Unity Party () is a centre-right political party in Costa Rica. PUSC considers itself a Christian-democratic party and, as such, is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA). It was founded in 1983 by ...

(PUSC for its Spanish initials). She lives in Goicoechea with her two daughters. She has been cited twice for violating employer delinquency laws by not paying employer contributions to the

Costa Rican Social Security Fund The Costa Rican Social Security Fund () is in charge of most of the nation's public health sector. Its role in public health (as the administrator of health institutions) is key in Costa Rica, playing an important part in the state's national hea ...

, once in 2001 and once in 2004. Both cases were resolved after hearings. Chacón trained as an international relations expert and has served in numerous public policy organizations. In 2011, she served on the United Nation's Global Commission on HIV and the Law Reviews Legal Barriers Obstructing Progress on AIDS in Asia-Pacific. From 2011 to 2013, she served on the board of directors for Fundación PANIAMOR, a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization that supports the rights of children.

Political career

Chacón served as Vice Minister of Public Safety during the

Abel Pacheco Abel Pacheco de la Espriella ( ; born 22 December 1933) is a Costa Rican politician who was president of Costa Rica between 2002 and 2006, representing the Social Christian Unity Party ''(Partido Unidad Social Cristiana'' – PUSC). He ran on ...

administration (2002-2006). She then served as a deputy in the

Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica The Legislative Assembly () forms the unicameralism, unicameral legislature, legislative branch of the Politics of Costa Rica, Costa Rican government. The national congress building is located in the capital city, San José, Costa Rica, San Jos� ...

from 2006 to 2010 for PUSC. At the time, she worked with the block of deputies who were in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Chacón expressed interest in favor of

in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...

, the rights of children, and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. Some of these issues put her in direct ideological conflict with others members of her party. In 2010, Chacón left PUSC to create a new party with other ex-PUSC members, the Christian Democratic and Social Party (CDS for its Spanish initials). PCDS never fielded any candidates, but remained active as an arm of PUSC. In 2014, Chacón became Luis Guillermo Solís' second vice presidential candidate, alongside Helio Fallas. Her selection was a surprise to many PAC followers given her support of CAFTA during the Arias administration and her past association with PUSC. She explained the disagreement about CAFTA by saying that it had not been implemented correctly, citing problems of corruptions, ethics, and transparency. In 2018, Carlos Alvarado elected her as new Costa Rican Ambassador in Madrid, Spain.

Political philosophy

As a deputy, Chacón often clashed with PUSC, her own party, supporting such initiatives as the right to

same sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

, and

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

in the case of fetal health. Chacón also expressed interest in issues of adolescent pregnancy,

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

, and

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

. She believes that

extreme poverty Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, ...

in Costa Rica can be eliminated within four years of good governance. She marched in support of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

during an annual parade in 2015. Upon joining PAC, Chacón was open about her dislike of President Laura Chinchilla's policies with regard to women, saying that they were ignored by the former president. Of Chinchilla, Chacón said that "she has not worn the clothes of a woman in order to govern like a woman, because she is just another politician." Chacón also expressed grievances about how CAFTA is implemented, but nevertheless stood by her support of it, claiming that it is too early to analyze the positive or negative impact of the free trade agreement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chacon, Ana Helena Living people 1958 births Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica) politicians Vice presidents of Costa Rica Government ministers of Costa Rica Members of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Ambassadors of Costa Rica to Spain Women vice presidents of Costa Rica People from San José Province 21st-century women politicians