Members of 40 Days for Life and the Bishops’ Vicariate for Life and Family of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, along with other Christians gathered June 17 to remind the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic that the right to life is inviolable and that there is no place for abortion in the country.
The gathering took place outside the court in Santo Domingo during a public hearing regarding a “direct constitutional challenge” filed by groups such as the pro-abortion Catholics for the Right to Decide and the Dominican Christian Alliance Association. They seek the decriminalization of abortion based on three grounds: danger to the motherʼs life, fetal non-viability, and rape or incest.
The legal maneuver seeks to challenge articles 106, 107, 108, 110, and 111 of Law 74-25, which establishes the new penal code of the Dominican Republic and is set to take effect on Aug. 3. These articles prescribe various penalties for women who undergo an abortion and for those who assist in the procedure.
The pro-life demonstrators emphasized that in its upcoming ruling, the Constitutional Court must underscore that Article 37 of the Dominican constitution establishes that “the right to life is inviolable from conception to death.”
“We are driven not by confrontation but by love and the defense of the most vulnerable. Attempting to legalize abortion by having the court interpret the law this way would flagrantly violate our constitution and undermine the nationʼs sovereignty regarding its laws, which has already been expressed through the legislative branch in the new penal code,” 40 Days for Life and the vicariate said in a joint statement sent to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
At the event, pro-life advocates displayed banners with messages such as “The DR is pro-life; we pray for a pro-life and constitutional penal code”; “We pray for an end to abortion”; and “Women need support, not abortion.”
“Pro-life organizations concluded the day by reiterating their unwavering commitment to supporting mothers in vulnerable situations and to the ongoing defense of the family in the Dominican Republic,” the statement noted.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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