# Divorce legalised in Chile (May 2004)

URL: https://allhistories.com/chile/timeline/2004-divorce-legalised-in-chile
Location: Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan
Themes: Culture

President Lagos promulgates the New Civil Marriage Law (Law 19.947), legalising divorce after years of debate. Chile had been one of the few countries in the world without legal divorce, with couples relying on fraudulent annulments. The law takes effect in November 2004. The law also regulates separation and annulment and creates mediation procedures, and conservative groups and the Catholic Church strongly oppose it during the parliamentary debate.

## Why it matters
Legal divorce marked a major step in the secularisation of family law and in women's rights in Chile.

Ruler at the Time: [Ricardo Lagos](https://allhistories.com/chile/rulers/ricardo-lagos)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Women in Chile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Chile)
- [Wikipedia — Ricardo Lagos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Lagos)
- [Wikipedia — Democracy (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_transition_to_democracy)