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Women’s proposals rejected during constitutional reform process |
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Several of the proposals presented by members of the Dominican National Assembly, which are related to non-discrimination and protection of women’s rights, were rejected by the Revisory Assembly on 16 April 2009 as part of the ongoing constitutional reform process in the Dominican Republic.
The aim of the Revisory Assembly is to reform the country’s constitution based on a proposal made by current President Leonel Fernández. The Assembly has approved a number of articles on the social State, civil and political rights, and equality. However, several proposals focusing on women’s rights have been rejected, according to the Dominican newspaper Hoy. The issue that has generated most controversy is that of therapeutic abortion, but assembly members have also made reference to women’s political participation.
Minou Tavárez Mirabal, Member of Parliament and of the PLD Party (Partido de la Liberación Dominicana), declares that in the Dominican Republic there is a continued incapacity on the part of men to accept women’s involvement in the public arena, or the fact that they can be independent.
Agnes Berenice Contreras (member of the Partido Reformista Social Cristiano -PRSC- Province of Elías Piña) highlighted during the Assembly’s session that Dominican women, who make up 52 percent of the population, are discriminated against not only in the economic arena, but in politics as well. Two proposals made by assembly member Yudelka de la Rosa (PLD-National District), requesting that the text of Article 29 on the right to equality be modified from “balanced participation” to “equitable participation” and that equitable remuneration be recognized between men and women who occupy the same position, were rejected by the Assembly.
The issue that has raised the strongest protest from women’s civil society groups was article 30 of the constitution, which the Revisory Assembly approved (167 votes in favor and 32 against) as the the following text: ”The right to life is not to be violated from the moment of conception until death.” Women’s and physician’s organizations have proposed a change to the article in order to legalize “therapeutic” abortion, which is the interruption of pregnancy in cases where the fetus presents problems or the mother’s life is in danger. The women’s organization “Women in Favor of Constitutional Reform” (Mujeres por la Constitución) have called the approval of article 30 “shameful,” highlighting that it is a violation of other rights of Dominican women, such as the right to health, free development of her personality and sexual and reproductive rights, and the right to full citizenship and autonomy.
However, the Catholic Church has proclaimed that by penalizing abortion, the Assembly has interpreted the “opinion of the larger part of the Dominican people,” according to the newspaper Diario Libre.
The Revisory Assembly that is examining the proposed new constitution is composed of the Upper and Lower House of the Dominican Parliament and includes 210 Members, 37 of which are women (17.6 per cent). The articles will be considered in a second reading.
On 6 May thousands of people, mostly from women´s and physician´s organizations, marched through the capital Santo Domingo to manifest their opposition to article 30.
Read more on the webpage of newspaper Hoy |
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