On June 17, members of 40 Days for Life, the Bishops’ Vicariate for Life and Family of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, and other Christians gathered outside the Constitutional Court in Santo Domingo to defend the inviolable right to life. The protest occurred during a public hearing on a direct constitutional challenge filed by pro-abortion groups, including Catholics for the Right to Decide and the Dominican Christian Alliance Association.
The legal challenge aims to decriminalize abortion in cases of risk to the mother’s life, fetal non-viability, and rape or incest. It targets articles 106-111 of Law 74-25, part of the new penal code set to take effect on August 3, 2026. These articles penalize women who undergo abortions and those who assist them.
Pro-life demonstrators emphasized that Article 37 of the Dominican Constitution declares the right to life inviolable from conception to death. In a joint statement, 40 Days for Life and the vicariate said: ‘We are driven not by confrontation but by love and the defense of the most vulnerable. Attempting to legalize abortion by having the court interpret the law this way would flagrantly violate our constitution and undermine the nation’s sovereignty.’
Advocates carried banners reading ‘The DR is pro-life; we pray for a pro-life and constitutional penal code,’ ‘We pray for an end to abortion,’ and ‘Women need support, not abortion.’ The day concluded with a renewed commitment to supporting mothers in vulnerable situations and defending the family.
This story was originally published by ACI Prensa and adapted by EWTN News.
