By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
The Dominican Republic’s church-inspired ban on all abortions has cost the life of a pregnant 16-year-old according to her mother, Rosa Hernandez. The teen, who suffered from leukemia, was unable to undergo life-saving chemotherapy until it was too late. The DR’s ban prevented a therapeutic abortion of the 13 week fetus as doctors were unwilling to make an exception.
A blood transfusion on Thursday was unsuccessful, and the postponed chemotherapy was likewise ineffective. The teen miscarried on Friday but died from complications including cardiac arrest.
“My daughter’s life is first. I know that (abortion) is a sin and that it goes against the law … but my daughter’s health is first,” Hernandez said. Not according to DR law which constitutionally provides that “the right to life is inviolable from the moment of conception and until death.” Dominican courts have interpreted this as a strict mandate against abortion.
Article 37 of the DR’s constitution, which also bans the death penalty, was heavily promoted by the Roman Catholic Church. The Church’s all-out war against abortion has taken root in heavily catholic Latin America, where 16 states in Mexico have recently adopted constitutional amendments declaring that life begins at conception. These follow the criminalization of abortion under all circumstances by Nicaragua in 2006, and El Salvador in 1998.
In 2009,the Dominican Gynecology and Obstetrics Society warned that enacting Article 37 would lead to more maternal deaths. The United Nations Program for Human Development coordinator Miguel Ceara Hatton said, “The Catholic Church influenced in everything. For following a dogma it has become a source and a motor for social exclusion in the Dominican Republic. The dogma is placed ahead of the needs of the population, health, housing and better living conditions.”
The needless death has precipitated a world-wide outcry against the ban, but Rosa Hernandez’ daughter is still dead in service to someone else’s principles.
Source: CNN
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Like Swift I use far off to show could be.
Mark,
Fine job. But do these terrible things not happen now in some abominable state in USA? Surely with all the ALEC and antiabortion action, some young woman has died because of abortion restrictions. And perhaps even the RCC is part eveb here of the problem.
It is not your intent, but we agree hopefully that
finding problems in another country or region gets us immediately off the hook—at least in some folks’ minds. Not yours nor mind nor the folks here—-issuing a blanket dismissal of all such suspicions of us at Turley’s. OK?
Not looking to find fault, just trying to not get carried away by my empathy with the girl and her father. And those who say, OK throw the stone, but not at my daughter. So said Cheney.
Reblogged this on Glory to man in the highest.
SHAME THEM INSTEAD OF EDUCATING THEM
Off on a tangent, triggered by all the stuff showing what a nut Ryan is.
We can pile it all up high as Cheop’s and it won’t change a single vote.
You know why. It is the people we have to change. And giving them facts (or opinions) won’t change their minds.
There is ONE ROUTE LEFT: showing them themselves and hoping that they will feel ashamed to hear how folks like them “understand” the Ryan plan, followed by listening to a soundbite from Ryan putting numbers on his plan. Whatever you decide the target is their seeing how stupid their felllow Ryan supporters are.
Do interviews, with names and geographic and vocational labels attached in the text, with “folks” from the “red states”.
Might be effective as spot ads. Trial it first of course. There might be time and money left.
Educating does not work. Shame ’em instead.
I’ll repeat myself…. a little more gently this time…. The Catholickass church is the greatest stain on Humanity, in the entire history of the human race……….
Great story Mark. It is amazing how screwed up our lives can get when you mix Religion with governing a country. This example is a Latin american version of the Taliban. What is next? Stoning?
“But I would go along with curtailing legal abortions….when people who commit rape or ‘forced consensual’ relations are immediately given the death penalty….you know how those fundamentals work!
Sex with women under the age of 18 should incur life in prison for the male.
Theft of $$$ that endangers the victims livlihood or lifestyle should also incur the death penalty. Because stealling the means of someones life is really no different than stealing their life.
Deceit, slander and lying….cut out tongues.”
Woosty,
So good it bears repetition. The entire abortion issue revolves around hatred of woman and their right to choose their own sexual lifestyle. from these malign fools point of view it is better to have this 16 year old die, than to have her go unpunished for her sexuality. As far as the influence of the RC Church goes, given their history of severe sexual misconduct, they should not be allowed to be the arbiters of human sexuality. Your list of complementary criminal acts starkly show that this hatred is one that relates to female activity.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/11/paul-ryan-s-extreme-abortion-views.html
Otteray Scribe
1, August 18, 2012 at 9:18 am
They are not “right to life.” They are in favor of forced births, which is not synonymous with right to life. That teen had a right to life too. This is what happens when politicians and theocrats put ideology ahead of good medical practice.
Then after birth, people like Paul Ryan and his teabagger supporters have no interest in helping that child have good health or a good education.
————————-
hear hear
But I would go along with curtailing legal abortions….when people who commit rape or ‘forced consensual’ relations are immediately given the death penalty….you know how those fundamentals work!
Sex with women under the age of 18 should incur life in prison for the male.
Theft of $$$ that endangers the victims livlihood or lifestyle should also incur the death penalty. Because stealling the means of someones life is really no different than stealing their life.
Deceit, slander and lying….cut out tongues.
Gee Whiz, sounding kinda like a fundy Shiite…. please wake me when we start acting like free thinking Americans again….
On of the big feminists in NY back in the late 80s, early 90s, said that if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a SACRAMENT.
“If men had babies, I’m sure there would be no ban on all abortions.”
Elaine, they’d be available at 7-11.
If men had babies, I’m sure there would be no ban on all abortions.
Yeah, what OS said. Somebody may have a right to life, but they NEVER have a right to LIFE INSIDE MY BODY unless they’re ME.
“Then after birth, people like Paul Ryan and his teabagger supporters have no interest in helping that child have good health or a good education.”
I’d rephrase that as: [They] have no interest in allowing a child to have decent health or a decent education.”
Oh wait a minute, that kind of makes sense. If there are lots of people running around living hand-to-mouth, having no money at all, without any entitlements to decent health or a decent education, we have a…wow, we have cheap labor, irrelevant “civil rights,” automatic inequality, and the folks have no time at all to get together and protest anything or try to interfere with our program and we have a military that’s absolutely FILLED with eager soldiers because they get three squares and a roof…oh NOW I GET IT.
Whenever the church utters the obvious lie, ”The church ‘loves’ you” one must immediately drop the word ‘loves’ and substitute the word ‘hates’……. The only thing the church loves is your money and you supplication…… as long as you’re on your knees………
They are not “right to life.” They are in favor of forced births, which is not synonymous with right to life. That teen had a right to life too. This is what happens when politicians and theocrats put ideology ahead of good medical practice.
Then after birth, people like Paul Ryan and his teabagger supporters have no interest in helping that child have good health or a good education.
sm:
Of course he does. Theocrats aren’t particularly creative thinkers.
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/8/13/the_paul_ryan_vision_of_america Paul Ryan wants to ban abortion in all cases.