ドミニカ：
性と生殖の権利を認めよ

Mr. Alfredo Pacheco,
President of the Chamber of Deputies
E-mail: a.pacheco@camaradediputados.gob.do
Twitter: @Pachecoalfredoo

Dear Alfredo Pacheco,

Right now, human rights activists across the Dominican Republic are demanding that the reform of the country’s criminal code includes the protection of LGBTIQ+ rights and the decriminalization of abortion in three limited circumstances: when the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of a pregnant woman or girl, when the fetus could not survive outside the womb, and when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. These demands are a human rights imperative for the Dominican Republic and must be approved.

The Dominican Republic’s current legislation that outlaws abortion under all circumstances causes a serious and urgent public health problem, leading to avoidable deaths of women and pregnant people, generally from the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Over the last 25 years, more than 50 countries have changed their laws to allow for greater access to abortion, recognizing the vital role that access to safe abortion plays in protecting lives and health. Such reforms are widely supported by human rights standards, as well as by public health experts. The World Health Organization, along with prominent medical associations, support the decriminalisation of abortion, asserting that criminalisation does not have the intended effect of reducing the numbers of abortions and only leads to women seeking unsafe clandestine abortion that put their lives and health at risk.

Sadly, the Dominican Republic continues to be amongst the last countries in the world to maintain a complete ban on abortion. The current debate over the reform of the country’s criminal code represents an historic opportunity to change this situation and stand on the right side of history.
Equally, by failing to ensure that the Criminal Code includes protections against torture, violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Dominican Republic would sustain inequalities, perpetuate discrimination and stigmatization of LGBTIQ+ people, preventing them from enjoying a whole range of other rights.

Therefore, I call on to you to approve a reformed criminal code that meets the Dominican Republic’s obligations under international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfil the rights of women, girls, and LGBTIQ+ people to life, health, autonomy and dignity.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Alfredo Pacheco,
President of the Chamber of Deputies
E-mail: a.pacheco@camaradediputados.gob.do
Twitter: @Pachecoalfredoo

Dear Alfredo Pacheco,

Right now, human rights activists across the Dominican Republic are demanding that the reform of the country’s criminal code includes the protection of LGBTIQ+ rights and the decriminalization of abortion in three limited circumstances: when the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of a pregnant woman or girl, when the fetus could not survive outside the womb, and when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. These demands are a human rights imperative for the Dominican Republic and must be approved.

The Dominican Republic’s current legislation that outlaws abortion under all circumstances causes a serious and urgent public health problem, leading to avoidable deaths of women and pregnant people, generally from the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Over the last 25 years, more than 50 countries have changed their laws to allow for greater access to abortion, recognizing the vital role that access to safe abortion plays in protecting lives and health. Such reforms are widely supported by human rights standards, as well as by public health experts. The World Health Organization, along with prominent medical associations, support the decriminalisation of abortion, asserting that criminalisation does not have the intended effect of reducing the numbers of abortions and only leads to women seeking unsafe clandestine abortion that put their lives and health at risk.

Sadly, the Dominican Republic continues to be amongst the last countries in the world to maintain a complete ban on abortion. The current debate over the reform of the country’s criminal code represents an historic opportunity to change this situation and stand on the right side of history.
Equally, by failing to ensure that the Criminal Code includes protections against torture, violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Dominican Republic would sustain inequalities, perpetuate discrimination and stigmatization of LGBTIQ+ people, preventing them from enjoying a whole range of other rights.

Therefore, I call on to you to approve a reformed criminal code that meets the Dominican Republic’s obligations under international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfil the rights of women, girls, and LGBTIQ+ people to life, health, autonomy and dignity.

Yours sincerely,