Dominican activists protest against a new criminal code that would maintain a total abortion ban

SANTO DOMINGO — Activists in the Dominican Republic protested against a bill for a new criminal code that would keep in place the country’s total abortion ban.

The Dominican Senate gave initial approval to the bill in late June and lawmakers are expected to give it final approval in the next few days. “We continue to fight,” said feminist activist Sergia Galván, who along with fellow protesters have asked for legal abortion when the woman’s life is at risk, when a pregnancy is the product of rape or incest, and in cases of fetal malformation incompatible with life.

The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Women face up to two years in prison for having an abortion, while the penalties for doctors or midwives who conduct them range from five to 20 years.

Besides maintaining the total abortion ban, the new criminal code would also reduce penalties for sexual violence within marriage and exclude sexual orientation from the list of characteristics protected from discrimination, affecting the LGBTQ+ community.