President Luis Abinader unleashed a commotion in the country over the weekend, by favoring the three causes that allow the termination of pregnancy, as proposed in the draft reform of the Penal Code that runs in Congress.
The president’s position immediately provoked rejection from various sectors, including representatives of the Catholic Church who considered the expression “unpleasant”.
“I disagree, as is the majority of the population, not only in the Dominican Republic but in the world, with free abortion, but I do think that there must be causes that allow the interruption of the This has been the official position of our party (Modern Revolutionary, PRM), “the president said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País over the weekend.
The bill raises three causes to allow the termination of pregnancy: in case of incest or rape, risk of the mother’s life or that the fetus has a malformation incompatible with life.
conflicting issue
The issue has been a source of constant conflict, due to the fierce opposition of influential sectors that defend the right to life from conception to death.
In 2014, when Abinader was a presidential candidate for the PRM, he seconded the observation of former President Danilo Medina, who returned the Criminal Code to the Chamber of Deputies to specify the decriminalization related to abortion in the cases in which the mother is in danger and when rape and incest occur.
In 2017, the PRM and its legislators recalled their position on abortion in the three causes through a letter, and then in 2018 the president during a participation in the Daily List Breakfast said that:
“Our party has a position on the three causes. We think we need to support them,” he said in the conversation.
Unpleasant expression
Yesterday Catholic priests categorized President Abinader’s stance as “an unhappy and unpleasant expression”.
“It really is an unhappy expression at this time of Christmas, where we are celebrating the birth of the Redeemer and also at a time that invites us to the joy and tenderness of God,” said Father Faustino Burgos, who also went categorize the comment as the least “lucky at this time” and similarly said that Abinader’s position surprises him.
“We are surprised by this expression of Mr. President because he also declares himself a Catholic believer and if he is a Catholic first, he must embrace in faith and defend what the church teaches,” he said.
He added that “it cannot be said that one is a Catholic in private or when one goes only to the temple, but one is a Catholic inside and outside the church and anywhere.” And he warned that they will stand by defending life and rejecting any stance that goes in the line of approving the three causals or the edge, as “it is a shameful action of the human being, to whom God has given reason and the ability to discern, because the irrational animals we know don’t do that. “
Cause everything
Also the bishop of the Diocese of Baní, Monsignor Víctor Masalles, has indicated in his Twitter account that “in the world of faith it has caused great sorrow that, just in the days of the Birth of our Savior, a president expresses support to situations in which unborn children are eliminated, knowing all that the causes are the antechamber to free abortion. “
While Father Kennedy Rodriguez said he expects President Abinader to change his mind, as the family needs to be positively encouraged. “I hope the president rectifies, because we are always in favor of life and family; instead of these laws that are pro-abortion we want laws that are provided,” he expressed.
KNOW MORE
The Constitution.
Former MP Pelegrin Castell wrote a message on Twitter in which he tagged the president, rejecting abortion and explaining that in order to be possible, the constitution must be amended.
Rapists.
Journalist Margarita Cordero was in favor of the three causes. “In this country, 14 out of every 100 parents rape their daughters. I want to see life and family advocates talking about this issue,” he added.