Dominican activists are protesting a new penal code that would maintain a total ban on abortion

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

The Dominican Senate gave initial approval to the bill in late June, and lawmakers are expected to give it final approval in the coming days.

“We continue to fight,” said feminist activist Sergia Galván, who along with fellow protesters called for legal abortion when the woman’s life is in danger, 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 criminalize abortion without exception. Women face up to 2 years in prison for abortion, while sentences for doctors or midwives range from 5 to 20 years.

In addition to maintaining the total ban on abortion, the new criminal code would also reduce the penalties for sexual violence within marriage and exclude sexual orientation from the list of characteristics protected from discrimination, which affects the LGBTQ+ community.

Abortion rights activists say the country’s total abortion ban not only restricts women’s reproductive options, but also puts their lives at risk.

“We want a (penal) Code that respects women and girls, that allows them to decide,” said Nicole Pichardo, the leader of a minority political party who was at Wednesday’s protest.

“The penal code that the Senate approved does not represent us,” said Rosalba Díaz, of the Dominican Inclusive Lesbian Community. “And what does that mean? That now, people who have a different sexual orientation or gender identity will be exposed to the risk of facing constant discrimination.”

President Luis Abinader, who won a second term last May, suggested to abortion activists that he would be willing to support decriminalization, but after winning both elections he withdrew.

“The women’s organizations met with him and he told us that he agrees with the three exceptions,” Galván said. “But it was a fraud on the citizens, on women and on the people.”

Dominicans have also expressed concerns about non-abortion changes in the new penal code.

One of its articles, for example, would exempt churches from criminal liability, which activists like Galván say could go unpunished for sexual abuse, money laundering or cover-ups by religious leaders.

On the Caribbean island, religion is key. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world that has a Bible on its flag. And the motto of the state is “God, country and freedom”.

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María Teresa Hernández, The Associated Press