Constitutional Court leaves in state of ruling the appeal seeking to decriminalize abortion

Santo Domingo.– The Constitutional Court (TC) has reserved its ruling on a series of direct actions of unconstitutionality, including a challenge to several articles of Law 74-25, which establishes the new Dominican Penal Code, and which seeks the decriminalization of abortion under certain circumstances.

During a hearing held by the high court, the parties involved presented their arguments before the constitutional judges. Representatives of the plaintiffs, the Attorney General’s Office, as well as lawyers from the Senate of the Republic, the Chamber of Deputies, and various voluntary interveners participated.

The president of the Constitutional Court, magistrate Napoleón Ricardo Estévez Lavandier, reported that the file is now in a state of judgment, which means that the court will begin the deliberation stage to issue a final decision on the case.

Due to the legal and social relevance of the matter, the magistrate explained that the court will grant special and successive deadlines to the parties for the filing of documents and supplementary arguments before adopting a final judgment. He indicated that the complexity of the debate and its impact on Dominican society merit an exhaustive analysis by the judges.

We recommend reading: Brazil’s Congress suspends rule that guaranteed legal abortion for minors who are victims of rape

The action is part of the discussions that have accompanied the approval of the new Penal Code, especially regarding the provisions related to the interruption of pregnancy. The topic has generated conflicting positions between sectors that promote the inclusion of exceptions for the practice of abortion and groups that defend the protection of life from conception.

The decision adopted by the Constitutional Court could have significant implications for Dominican criminal legislation and for the national debate on reproductive rights and the protection of life, one of the most sensitive and discussed topics on the country’s legal and social agenda.