Losing women's rights

The Dominican Republic has added a clause to its constitution effectively prohibiting abortion. But Dr. Milton Cordero, according to a DR1 article, notes that approximately 90,000 abortions occur in the Dominican Republic annually, contributing to the third leading cause of maternal death. These are mainly self-induced, or at the hands of an untrained practitioner.

I know from my lifelong work in public health (maternal and child health, family planning and HIV/AIDS) that those abortions which were previously done by a trained physician are now likely to go underground. The Dominican Republic in 2000 already had about 150 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births - higher than many of its peers in the Caribbean and Latin America. One can expect more deaths of pregnant women if clandestine abortion becomes the norm.

According to an article online in Latina, Aldrian Almonte, president of the Dominican Gynecology and Obstetrics Society has warned that the number of maternal deaths will increase considerably once the new laws are enforced and women are no longer able to gain access to safe and medically supervised abortions. Even if the pregnancy endangers a woman’s life, abortion will no longer be a feasible option for physicians. “I would like the honorable legislators to tell me: What are we going to do before the presence of a woman with severe eclampsia, convulsing in any emergency room around the country? What must we do, see her die to protect ourselves from the repercussions this law stipulates?” Almonte asked.

According to Dominican Today (April 29, 2009), the national focal point for the UNDP Human Development Report, Miguel Ceara Hatton, has further said that the new Constitution excludes the women’s right to life and encourages the incidence of clandestine abortions and maternal deaths in the country.

The work of the UN's agencies to educate about and promote safe women's reproductive health must continue in support of women's reproductive rights in the D.R., while the draconian new policies are reviewed by the country's people.