Welcome to Axios Latino, a newsletter to tell you every Tuesday and Thursday the stories that have a special impact on the Latino communities in the United States and in Latin America. If you are interested in subscribing and receiving the newsletter in your email (
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We will always publish it in Spanish on Noticias Telemundo.
đ To be on the lookout: Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Ecuador this Tuesday for bilateral meetings on anti-drug operations, and on Wednesday he will travel to Colombia to talk with regional ministers about irregular immigration.
1 topic to highlight:
Latin Americans seek the right to die
The movement for euthanasia and a
dignified death
is gaining strength in Latin America and the Caribbean, a fervently Catholic region.
Why it matters
: A wave of progressive laws has made its way in the region, such as the decriminalization of abortion, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and the recognition in official documents of those who are gender non-binary or have a gender transition.
The news boost
: Euthanasia made headlines this month when the procedure for a Colombian woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Martha SepĂșlveda, was canceled hours earlier.
The permit he had received was withdrawn during a closed-door meeting, without prior notice, when a panel argued that SepĂșlveda did not meet the criteria despite a court ruling.
SepĂșlveda, a practicing Catholic, was to be the first non-terminal assisted death recipient in that country.
His family is preparing an appeal.
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) is not always terminal in the short to medium term, but it is incurable and can cause immense pain.
Martha SepĂșlveda during an interview days before her dignified death procedure, scheduled for October 10, was unexpectedly canceled.Courtesy Captura / CARACOL
Details
: Colombia is the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean with euthanasia for terminally ill patients.
And this summer a decision of the Constitutional Court extended the procedure to those with "intense physical or mental suffering."
Similar proposals are to be debated in Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.
In Peru, a federal court allowed a woman with polymyositis to have access to euthanasia in March.
Although the issue continues to be debated in court, it laid the groundwork for avoiding a three-year prison sentence for those who practice âmerciful killingsâ in response to the wishes of patients.
In his own words:
âA law [of euthanasia] is going to put a cloak of mercy on those who find themselves in dire straits, with no hope whatsoever.
Not doing so is prolonging the suffering that accompanies a very unjust agony â.
Daniel Ostropolsky, Argentine lawyer and promoter of euthanasia
Keep in mind
: Euthanasia is only legal in six other nations: Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Spain.
In the US, ten states have death with dignity laws that allow assisted suicide.
2. Latino homeowners on the rise
Latinos increased their real estate rate
to nearly 50% in 2020, as reported by a group that monitors US Hispanic wealth creation.
Latino community fuels booming housing market in Houston
Oct. 18, 202102: 38
Why It Matters
: Between 2016 and 2019, Latino investment homeowners (such as renting) also increased by 33%, the largest increase of any demographic in the country, according to the State of Hispanic Wealth Report 2021.
That growth came despite Latinos having fewer investments and financial assets overall, and when about 15% of the community still lives below the federal poverty line.
Notably, the wealth gap between Latino families and their non-Hispanic white counterparts narrows when the household wealth of Latino homeowners ($ 171,900) is compared to that of white homeowners ($ 299,900).
Yes, but
: The report also notes that as of March, due to the pandemic, 8% of Latinos with home loans had had to request mortgage forbearance, an agreement to reduce or pause payments.
Namely
: More than half (53%) of Latino renters in the 2021 survey reported plans to buy a home in the next five years.
However, home ownership for Latinos is still far from the average rate for non-Hispanic whites, which hovers around 74%, a maximum of nine years, according to the Census Bureau.
3. How the perception of Latinos in the United States has changed.
Most Americans
now think of Latinos as key contributors to the US economy, according to a survey.
Graphic by Will Chase / Axios / BSP Data for UnidosUS, Latino Donor Collective, Raben Group, Friends of the Museum of American Latinos, and Latino Corporate Directors Association
In numbers
: 79% of non-Latino adults surveyed agreed with the statement that âLatinos give an economic boostâ, while in the same 2012 survey almost the same percentage believed that Latinos were âtaking jobsâ.
The economic output of US Latinos would make them the seventh largest economy in the world if they were a separate country, in addition to the fact that the Hispanic community represents two-thirds of the workforce, among the highest rates in the country.
They are responsible for half of the population growth over the past decade and started small businesses at a much faster rate than other groups before the pandemic.
Yes, but
: Stereotypes and misperceptions persist.
Most of the people surveyed, for example, believe that at least a third of Latinos are undocumented, when the figure is only 13%, and many still think of the undocumented as people who âstealâ jobs.
Most of those surveyed also think of Latinos almost exclusively as agricultural workers or essential workers, not as business and job creators.
The Big Picture
: The groups behind the survey argue that these findings âcontribute to the idea that illegal immigration or lack of citizenship are the biggest barriers Latinos face today,â thus overshadowing other barriers, such as lack of access to the community to banking or venture capital for investments.
4.
Nutrient deficiencies that affect the heart of Latinos
Latinos in the US with
more pronounced
indigenous ancestry
have a greater susceptibility to nutritional deficiency, states a scientific article.
Annelise Capossela / Axios
Why it matters
: Your lower ability to absorb omega-3 fatty acids can make you more vulnerable to heart disease and diabetes, and it can lower your immune response.
Latinos in the United States already have some of the highest levels of obesity and uncontrolled high blood pressure, as well as a higher prevalence of diabetes and fatty liver disease, compared to non-Hispanic whites.
Details
: The study compared US Latinos with greater Amerindian heritage, such as those of Mexican or Central American descent, and those with a more prominent genetic African ancestry, such as people with a Caribbean family.
The first group was found to have a genetic variation related to fatty acids that makes them less capable of processing omega-3s.
In parallel, people with this variation in fatty acid desaturase genes (called FADS) showed higher rates of metabolic inflammation and more triglyceride accumulation, which worsens cholesterol levels.
Bottom line
: Researchers suggest that physicians should identify Latinos who are at increased risk for omega deficiency and adapt their dietary recommendations, such as prescribing supplements, in a timely manner.
Omega-3 levels can also be increased by eating fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
5. Summary of key news
Maduro frontman Alex Saab faces US justice for the first time
Oct. 18, 202103: 04
Alex Saab, accused of being a front man
for the Venezuelan regime, had his first appearance before a United States court yesterday after being extradited this weekend from Cape Verde, West Africa.
Saab, a Colombian national, faces money laundering charges in Miami for a scheme in which allegedly bribery payments from Venezuelan regime contracts were transferred to US bank accounts.
In response to his extradition, the NicolĂĄs Maduro regime sent five US oil executives back to jail from house arrest and canceled upcoming negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition.
Previous rounds, held in Mexico City, had led to now-uncertain agreements to coordinate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and food assistance, seeking to end the political standoff in the crisis-ravaged South American country.
Latino advocacy groups sued Texas
last night, arguing that its new electoral maps dilute the power of Hispanics in the state.
What does the new Texas electoral law state that, according to experts, limits minority voting?
Sept.
8, 202102: 46
The state legislature on Monday approved redistricting maps propping up already Republican districts and eliminating one of the previously eight âmajority-minorityâ districts;
that is, where Latino voters represent more than 50% of the constituent base.
Half of Texas' population growth over the past decade was due to Latinos.
Redistribution must be based on the Census.
Paraguay has received an ultimatum from a
UN committee
to give reparations to the GuaranĂ indigenous people within 180 days for environmental damage to their lands due to fumigation.
6. đ Farewell smile: A special party
Latinas in foster care
in Los Angeles were able to dance at their own quinceañera thanks to donations and sponsorships.
Foster Home Quinceañeras Celebrate their XV Years with a Big Party in Los Angeles
Oct. 8, 202102: 17
Details
: The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services hosted the event, with dresses for the young women and tuxedos for the chamberlains donated by local stores.
Quinceañera parties are traditionally paid for by parents or immediate family, and the first dance is usually between the person celebrating the birthday and their father.
In this case, social workers and adoptive mothers were there, with coronavirus social distancing protocols, to encourage the girls.
Until Thursday, thanks for reading us.
Do you want to see any of the most recent previous editions?
A neglected danger
In search of future politicians
How the Happy Meal migrated
The 'perfect' business for drug trafficking
Hispanic economic engine
Vaccines thanks to a South American
Footprints of truth from Argentina
