SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American countries that criminalize abortion without exception. Women face up to two years of criminal conviction for having an abortion, while the consequences for doctors or midwives range from five to 20 years. . Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s blanket abortion ban only restricts women’s reproductive options, but also puts their lives at risk.
Here’s a look at the country’s ban.
No country carries a Bible on its flag.
The country’s motto is “God, Country, Freedom” and the government has signed a concordat or agreement with the Vatican, implying that the official faith is Catholicism; The Charter allows for freedom of worship.
The Catholic Church influences sexual education. The “Learn to Love” program, recently implemented through the Ministry of Education, aims to spread Catholic values among students.
Catholics and evangelicals are united against the decriminalization of abortion and have some influence among legislators. “We have contributed to the debates and the bishops go to members of Congress to discuss. “
In the countryside, ancestral wisdom is used to terminate pregnancies with preparations. Some medical worker corps in urban spaces facilitate abortions with medications such as misoprostol.
“It’s not legal, but if someone calls, I know how to handle them,” said one gym employee who requested anonymity to avoid prosecution. “We use recipes. (Misoprostol) is used to treat ulcers, so a B-complex, an antacid, can be prescribed, and there will be no problems.
In addition, there are networks of “companions,” such as in Mexico the activist Sergia Galván.
“In 1995, we had three clandestine abortion centers, but there came a time when the risks were too high,” Galván said. “Historically we have had mechanisms, but they are insufficient in the midst of restrictions.”
The situation in public hospitals is incredibly delicate, said nurse Francisca Peguero. “We saw teenagers dying in emergency rooms because doctors were faced with a dilemma: if they treated them, they could simply be criminalized. “
According to Peguero, the clinics are monitored by police officers who, when they see bleeding, can report it.
As a first step, abortion rights activists would like to legalize abortion when a woman’s life is in danger, when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, and when fetal malformations are incompatible with life.
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