The Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies decided to postpone for two weeks the vote on a bill that provides for the so-called “automatic termination” of child support payments for children who turn 18. The proposal, presented by deputies allied with Cartism Jatar Fernández and Hugo Meza (both from ANR, bench B), amends the Childhood and Adolescence Code and establishes that the obligation ceases by operation of law upon reaching the age of majority, regardless of a court order, except for debts already due.
The bill received divergent opinions in the committees: those on Social Equity and Equality between Men and Women and on Childhood and Adolescence opposed it; those on Legislation and on Justice were in favor. Critics point out that the measure benefits debtor parents in a country that recorded 2,276 child support debtors as of early May, a number that does not account for underreporting.
During the ordinary session, Jatar Fernández tried to confront deputies Johanna Ortega (Party of the Solidary Country) and Raúl Benítez (independent), claiming to have “3% more IQ” than the younger colleagues and accusing the opposition of repeating mistakes of “people without education, without scruples, without codes, without word, disloyal” – a veiled reference to former deputy Paraguayo Cubas. Ortega retorted by calling Fernández an “electoral fraudster,” recalling that he was elected by the National Crusade Party and, within three days, migrated to the Cartist bench. Benítez, in turn, said he could not understand what he called the “javorai” of ideas from his colleague and stated that Fernández has no authority to give political lessons, since “he arrives at a bench and gives himself up on the first day to the majority because it suits him to invade some property and a water tanker.”
The postponement occurs amid criticism that the Chamber, which calls itself “pro-life and pro-family” and uses the slogan “with children, no,” would actually be facilitating the renunciation of parental responsibility. The proposal still needs to be discussed and voted on in the coming weeks.