Comments on: Dominican Republic Passes Complete Ban on Abortion

By: hellogoodbye

hellogoodbye — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:11:08 +0000

“Again, the amendment also does not include exceptions for rape/incest, or life of the mother. Just as the influential Catholic Church would want it. ”

The Catholic Church actually supports abortions to save the life of the mother (they’re OK with abortions for ectopic pregnancies, and induced labor for pre/eclampsia). As far as induced labor for preeclampsia and eclampsia goes, you have to balance the life of the mother and fetus equally.

To answer JGab’s question, it absolutely would not ban an “abortion” if the fetus had already died! I don’t even think that’s even called an abortion. No one is opposed to that.

I think the framers of this law really dropped the ball when they didn’t make an exception for ectopic pregnancies, and failed to state that the doctors could induce labor in an emergency. I really wonder if there’s anything that can be done to try to make them amend it to allow for this without completely getting rid of this part of their Constitution. If someone could post a link with any information on this, I’d really appreciate it.

By: JGab

JGab — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:52:27 +0000

I dont know much about either this situation, or this kind of law, so I have to ask. Would this ban apply to things like ectopic pregnancies, or say a case where the fetus has in fact died but the body has not properly miscarried? How far do their definitions of “abortion” go… does this end up being a ban on the actual procedures that cause abortion whether or not there is a viable embryo or fetus involved?

By: Roving Thundercloud

Roving Thundercloud — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:34:23 +0000

Disgusting, as it will also deprive existing families of their mothers, and take women from their loving partners. Every pregnancy, even the joyfully anticipated one, becomes a fearful risk.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:19:47 +0000

What a coincidence. I was just researching language schools to attend in the DR this summer. After reading this, I will definately go somewhere else. I want to tell the DR government the reason for my decision not to visit. Do you have an email where I can send my statement?

By: Gordon

Gordon — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:47:39 +0000

I can do no better than quote from a poem (which, full disclosure, I wrote myself) inspired by reading Dr. Susan Wicklund’s memoir This Common Secret:

“Idolaters of blind, unfeeling cells,
You count for nothing those already born,
Their hopes, fears, agonies, their very selves,
For nothing all the morgue-slab failures of
Your fevered dogma dreams.”

By: maria

maria — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:16:54 +0000

Cara, I’m very dissapointed with these pro-life groups, if what you said is true. In Romania there was the famous “decret 770″ (a comunist directive that banned the abortion). sad.

By: Ori

Ori — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:58:52 +0000

When will these so-called ‘pro-lifers” start valuing a mother’s life and well-being as much as a fetus? This abortion ban is an insult to women, especially rape victims and women carrying dangerous pregnancies. I grieve for Dominican women.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:58:05 +0000

So, about these mothers convulsing with preeclampsia. I wonder if the doctors would go ahead and deliver the baby prematurely and try to keep it alive. It would depend if they have access to care for premature babies and if not, then they might not take the baby because they could be charged with performing an abortion. Terrible. However, if there is access to neonatal intensive care, then mothers can be saved by treating the “interruption” as a premature birth. That’s very different from an abortion in which the procedure of ending the pregnancy is done in such a way as to end the life of the fetus.

By: Women haters go big in the Dominican Republic « The Words on What…

Women haters go big in the Dominican Republic « The Words on What… — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:21:58 +0000

[...] by Rob F on April 27, 2009 Via Feministe comes news that the Dominican Republic has passed a total ban on abortion with no exceptions, not [...]

By: chava

chava — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:42:24 +0000

I hear so many women in the U.S. these days tell me there is no need to worry about our abortion rights because “the government would never take them away.”

I think we can take this as a reminder that they, in fact, can.

Does anyone know if the Dominican Republic permits capital punishment?