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Lawmakers will debate to authorize abortion when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, the woman's life is at risk, or the fetus is malformed.
Dominican Republic's President Luis Abinader on Sunday reaffirmed his support for modification in the Penal Code to allow abortion under certain cases.
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"I am in disagreement... with free abortion, but I do think that there must be causes that allow the termination of the pregnancy," he said.
The bill seeks to permit the termination of pregnancy when it is the result of rape or incest, the woman's life is at risk, or the fetus presents malformations incompatible with life.
Bani's Diocese Bishop Victor Masalles opposed the penal reforms arguing that they are set to gradually legalize total abortion.
Una deuda de democracia con las mujeres! #Apoyo3Causales en el #CodigoPenal pic.twitter.com/tQCQBF2QOQ
— Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos CNDH-RD (@CNDHrd) October 6, 2020
The sign reads, "Decriminalization by cause: a debt of democracy to women. The inclusion of three grounds in the Penal Code is a matter of rights, justice, and humanity."
The new proposal also seeks to criminalize femicide, unnecessary shootings, and the propagation of false information.
Since 2016, Congress has been in a deadlock over the abortion issue as there have been no agreements between the opposition and conservative sectors.
The country's current Criminal Code prohibits any action that attempts against life even from the conception of the fetus.
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