CIVICUS speaks with Alicia Méndez Medina of the Junta de Prietas collective about the campaign for the legalisation of abortion and feminist, anti-racist and other rights struggles in the Dominican Republic.
Junta de Prietas is a feminist, anti-racist and decolonial collective working with communities and vulnerable groups to combat oppression in the Dominican Republic.
What’s the situation for women seeking an abortion in the Dominican Republic?
Women seeking a termination of pregnancy face risks to their health and lives because of the criminalisation of abortion. Although the ban in principle applies to all women equally, not all women are exposed to the same risks: Black women, poor women and migrant women face the greatest risks. That’s why our struggle goes beyond the decriminalisation of abortion and is also a struggle against the racism that’s so deeply rooted in Dominican society, which is particularly targeted against Black and migrant women.
In that sense, the decriminalisation of abortion is an important part, but only a part, of a broader struggle for women’s rights. This struggle is also about challenging the structural barriers that hinder access to healthcare, and particularly the commodification of healthcare, which means only those who can afford good health insurance receive quality care.
Total abortion bans lead to unnecessary health complications for women who, because they are pregnant and unable to terminate their pregnancies, may be deprived of life-saving medical treatment. This was illustrated by the tragic case of Esperancita, a 16-year-old who died in 2012 because she was pregnant and was therefore denied treatment for her leukaemia. After years of struggle by Esperancita’s mother, in 2020 the case was admitted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
We currently focus our demands on the decriminalisation of abortion on three specific grounds: risk to the life of the pregnant person, rape and incest. However, we consider these grounds to be too limited and ultimately advocate for full decriminalisation as a fundamental right of women to make autonomous decisions about their bodies and lives.
Who opposes the legalisation of abortion and on what grounds?
There are ultra-conservative groups that oppose any demand for freedom and equality and fuel polarisation among the public and attacks on social media. In election times, political candidates often align themselves with their positions, and express their opposition to abortion with theological arguments that show the strong influence of the Catholic Church.
We are currently going through a difficult period, because anti-rights groups are increasingly organised and mobilised to resist any progress on rights. These groups are embedded in powerful and wealthy sectors of society, which gives them access to traditional and social media. This allows them to influence public opinion and threaten and stigmatise those who fight for equality and human rights.
These groups are also ultra-nationalist and target their hostility against Haitian migrants. When the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of people deprived of their Dominican nationality because of their Haitian ancestry, a campaign was unleashed denouncing the ruling as foreign interference. Something similar could happen were the Inter-American Court to rule in favour of abortion rights in a case directly involving our country. Public opinion is very divided on these issues and often echoes accusations that international bodies are interfering, forgetting we are members of these bodies and take part in their processes.
How does your organisation contribute to the fight for equal rights?
As a collective, we are committed to defending people’s basic rights in a context of serious economic and social crisis, in which racism and xenophobia are urgent challenges.
The situation in neighbouring Haiti, marked by armed conflict, has caused a migratory flow towards our country, particularly of women in vulnerable conditions, including many who are breastfeeding or about to give birth. It is essential for any discussion of the struggle of women in the Dominican Republic to take account of the situation of these Haitian and Dominican-Haitian women who face the prospect of deportation and other serious risks.
We highlight the diverse realities faced by diverse women: migrant women, and also trans women, who often face discrimination even within feminist circles. And we advocate for the full decriminalisation of abortion, promoting reproductive justice and respect for the dignity of all women.
Civic space in the Dominican Republic is rated ‘narrowed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with Junta de Prietas through its Facebook page and follow @JPrietas on Twitter and @junta_deprietas on Instagram.
