The Dominican Republic's President Luis Abinader on Monday informed he will pass to Congress a referendum proposal for citizens to decide on the Safe Abortion Law.
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"I support safe abortion, but I believe that this decision should be made by everyone, especially by Dominican women," he said.
The Dominican Republic maintains a total abortion ban. However, women's rights advocates denounced that thousands of clandestine abortions are performed in the country every year, posing a risk to women's lives.
The Safe Abortion law was one of Abinader's campaign promises that led him to the presidency. Since taking office in August 2020, he has expressed his willingness to pass a law allowing abortion in exceptional situations.
For the past month, women's rights activists have been camping out in front of government headquarters in Santo Domingo to demand safe abortion in cases of rape and risks to the life of the woman or the fetus.
One group of activists demands the inclusion of safe abortion in the Penal Code, while other advocates suggest including it in a special law. A third group is calling for a referendum.
For the moment, the decision on abortion and the possibility of holding a referendum lies in the Dominican Congress.