Ginés González García
Encyclopedia
Ginés González García is a medical doctor and was the Minister of Health and Environment of Argentina
during the administrations of Presidents Eduardo Duhalde
and Néstor Kirchner
.
, Buenos Aires Province
, and graduated as a surgeon
at the National University of Córdoba
. He first entered public service as the Minister of Health of Buenos Aires Province
from 1988 to 1991. He was appointed Argentina's Minister of Health in January 2002, days after the congressional appointment of interim
President
Eduardo Duhalde
, and ratified in his post by President Néstor Kirchner
upon taking office in May 2003.
, Bishop
Antonio Baseotto
, because of the minister's public support of the legalization of abortion in Argentina
(where interrupting a pregnancy is a serious crime except when the mother's life is in grave danger, or in cases of rape of a mentally impaired woman), as well as his endorsement of sex education
and his implementation of a program of free contraception
and condom
distribution programs. The dispute underscored both the influence of the Roman Catholic Church
in Argentina, as well as the factious nature of local church-state relations
themselves.
Though González García was not retained in his post by Kirchner's wife and successor, Cristina Kirchner, when she took office in December 2007, and was instead appointed Ambassador to Chile
, he was influential in the appointment of a new health minister, Juan Luis Manzur
, in July 2009.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
during the administrations of Presidents Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
and Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
.
Career
González García was born in San Nicolás de los ArroyosSan Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, 61 km from Rosario. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido of the same name...
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, and graduated as a surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
at the National University of Córdoba
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
. He first entered public service as the Minister of Health of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
from 1988 to 1991. He was appointed Argentina's Minister of Health in January 2002, days after the congressional appointment of interim
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
President
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
, and ratified in his post by President Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
upon taking office in May 2003.
Minister of Health
González García became the focus of a controversy in February 2005, when he was verbally attacked by the head military chaplainChaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Antonio Baseotto
Antonio Baseotto
Antonio Baseotto was a Roman Catholic bishop from Argentina. Until February 2005 he was Argentina's military bishop , that is, the head of the military chaplains, with the status of Subsecretary of State....
, because of the minister's public support of the legalization of abortion in Argentina
Abortion in Argentina
Abortion in Argentina is strictly limited by law. Until 2007 there were no confirmed figures of performed abortions; health authorities estimated 500,000 per year , in most cases presumably illegal and often outside proper sanitary conditions. Around 80,000 patients per year are hospitalized due to...
(where interrupting a pregnancy is a serious crime except when the mother's life is in grave danger, or in cases of rape of a mentally impaired woman), as well as his endorsement of sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
and his implementation of a program of free contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
and condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
distribution programs. The dispute underscored both the influence of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Argentina, as well as the factious nature of local church-state relations
State-Church relations in Argentina
The first conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and the Argentine government can be traced to the ideas of the May Revolution of 1810. The Tribunal of the Inquisition was suppressed in the territories of the United Provinces of the River Plate on 1813-03-23, and on 4 June the General Assembly...
themselves.
Though González García was not retained in his post by Kirchner's wife and successor, Cristina Kirchner, when she took office in December 2007, and was instead appointed Ambassador to Chile
Argentina-Chile relations
Argentina–Chile relations refers to interstate relations between the Republic of Chile and the Argentine Republic. Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border, which is long and runs from north to the south along the Andes mountains...
, he was influential in the appointment of a new health minister, Juan Luis Manzur
Juan Luis Manzur
Juan Luis Manzur is an Argentine surgeon and politician, currently Minister of Health and Environment to the President.-Biography:...
, in July 2009.
External links
- Ministerio de Salud y Ambiente (Argentina's Health and Environment Ministry website; in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
)