President Luis Abinader launched an unrest in the country over the weekend, favoring the three causes that allow the termination of the pregnancy, as proposed in the draft reform of the Criminal Code that passes through Congress.
The president’s position immediately led to the rejection of various sectors, including representatives of the Catholic Church, who considered the expression “unpleasant”.
“I agree, like most of the population, not only in the Dominican Republic, but also in the world, with free abortion, but I think there must be reasons to terminate the pregnancy. This was the official position of our party (Modern Revolutionary, PRM) “, the president declared in an interview given to the Spanish newspaper El País over the weekend.
The bill raises three reasons to allow the termination of pregnancy: in case of incest or rape, the risk of the mother’s life or the fact that the fetus has a malformation incompatible with life.
Conflicting subject
The issue has been the subject of ongoing conflict due to fierce opposition from influential sectors that defend the right to life from conception to death.
In 2014, when Abinader was running for president of the PRM, he detached the observation of former President Danilo Medina, who returned the Criminal Code to the Chamber of Deputies to specify decriminalization related to termination of pregnancy in cases where the mother is in danger and rape and incest.
In 2017, the PRM and its lawmakers recalled their position on abortion in the three cases in a letter, and then in 2018, the president while attending the Listín Diario breakfast said that:
“Our party has a position on the three causes. We believe that we should support them “, he indicated in the discussion.
Unpleasant expression
Yesterday, Catholic priests described President Abinader’s position as “an unhappy and unpleasant expression.”
“It is indeed an unfortunate expression this Christmas season, when we celebrate the birth of the Savior and also at a time that invites us to the joy and tenderness of God,” said Father Faustino Burgos, who also classified the comment as less “lucky at this time” and in the same way said that Abinader’s position surprises him.
“We are surprised by this expression of the president, because he also declares himself a Catholic believer and if he is a Catholic first, he must accept in faith and defend what the church teaches,” he said.
He added that “you cannot say that you are a Catholic in private or when you only go to the temple, but you are a Catholic inside and outside the church and everywhere.” And he warned that they would stand in front defending life and rejecting any position that goes along the lines of approving the three causes or the council, because “it is an embarrassing act of the human being, to whom God has given reason and discernment, because irrational animals on who we know don’t do that.
Cause of regret
Also, the bishop of the Baní diocese, Monsignor Víctor Masalles, indicated on his Twitter account that “in the world of faith he caused great regret that, even on the day of the Nativity of our Savior, a president expresses his support for situations in which the unborn are eliminated. , everyone knowing that the causes are the prelude to free abortion “.
While Father Kennedy Rodríguez said he hopes President Abinader will change his mind, because the family must be positively encouraged. “We hope that the president will rectify, because we are always in favor of life and family; Instead of those laws that are pro-abortion, we want laws that are pro-life, ”he said.
YOU KNOW MORE
The Constitution.
Former MP Pelegrin Castillo wrote a message on Twitter labeling 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 cases: “In this country, 14 out of 100 parents rape their daughters. I want to see the defenders of life and family talking about this issue, “he added.