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
The earth being round is an easy deduction to make just by looking at the freaking round moon and extrapolating that to earth. That is not proof of anything. I want the real science — all the science about pathogens being the cause of events like the plague…and not born of the devil. Where’s the science of plastics, of sophisticated transportation, of vaccines, etc. in the bible? It’s a tome reflective of the dearth of information of its time. Period. Any soothsaying in the bible can be attributed to the fact the people do tend to make guesses about the future…some predictions are accurate, and some are not. People living then did not corner the market on predictions.
shano
Show me one place in the Bible where a baby was aborted.
Science is a systematic knowledge of the physical or material universe gained by observable facts. The sacred writings of all world religions basically contain a system of faith. Yet each do make statements within the province of science that provides a uniquely valid test to prove their authenticity. If their scientific observations are in reality superstitions reflective of the culture in which they were written, these so called sacred books are disqualified as the inspired Scripture of God. If, indeed, the scientific observations of any of these purported Holy Scripture agree with the facts of science today, then that Bible is the inspired Word of a true and living God. Why? The Creator and God of the universe is the God of science — the author of the scientific laws that govern His universe. Only the God of science could cause scientific facts to be recorded in a book —the Bible — hundreds or thousands of years before scientists discover them.
For thousands of years people believed the earth was flat. If one went too far, he would fall over the edge. This was taught in both Hindu and Buddhist scripture. In the 1500s, the first ship sailed around the world. This proved the earth was round. But the round earth was recorded in the Judeo-Christian Bible long before man discovered it in the 1500s.
The prophet Isaiah (40:22) spoke of the “circle of the earth.” Solomon wrote, “He [God] set a compass [circle] upon the face of the deep.” Proverbs 8:27. In our century, Arabs spoke of infidels being pushed over the edge into space. About 3,000 years ago, our Bible said the earth was round. This was not discovered until 500 years ago. Indeed, the Judeo-Christian Bible is the inspired Word of God.
Much more could be given as proof, Shano.
bettykath
Women who can’t afford children should simply not have sex. Plain and simple. An abortion only holds the child accountable for the mother’s weakness.
Jim, good for you! Having a strong opinion on something that will never affect you or happen to you. wow, that takes courage to decide for all women and their doctors on a condition that you, yourself, will never ever experience. what a coward you are. An ideologue with no knowledge of biology or the human condition.
You think a handful of cells is the same as an infant? Even the Bible dissagrees with you. There was no penalty for causing a woman to abort in the Bible- and as you know, the Bible has lots of punishments for all sorts of acts,
We could care less about your ‘holy’ books or ideology. when you know something about biology or humanity let me know! Because when abortion was illegal, women died. And if it become illegal again, women will die. This young teen died for your principals, isn’t that enough? do you want to see this happen in the US?
why not face the facts, you are an inhumane man. One who cares nothing about women or children or the health of these creatures you consider to be less than you, a real man, right?
I bet even you would have an abortion under some of the same circumstances most women decide to have an abortion.
It is an old story, the ‘right to lifers’ getting abortions because they are the ‘exception”. then they oppose the morning after pill and birth control. They use this ideology to continue to force women to have a surgical procedure instead of having access to RU- 486. These people are nuts. Like you, they deny science and cause massive suffering all over the world.
Jim,
You make my point. ” that which will become a human being” It isn’t. It just has potential.
If you want to get rid of abortions, as I do, it might be more productive to get rid of the reasons for the unwanted pregnancy than from the a.. end of the result by just refusing the abortion.
Economic reasons for an abortion are legitimate. A woman who cannot afford to feed and clothe a child is being responsible in having an abortion. Eliminating that which may become a child is responsible. If you want her to change her mind, how about working to improve the economic status of women in her situation? Work for more jobs. Work for equal pay for women – they still make less than 80 cents for each man making $1. Work for readily available means of contraception.
Oh, bet you didn’t mean the woman who already has children and can’t afford another but the student or career woman who isn’t ready to have the responsibility of a child. How about working for more child care facilities in colleges and corporations? How about working for more parenting classes? How about working to keep Planned Parenthood well funded in providing all those services that women need which account for at least 80% of their work.
And wtf is your rationale for insisting that victims of rape or incest be required to carry a fetus to term? Yes, the wtf is hostile, but so is the rationale that a woman be required to endure reminders of the violation of her body for nine months.
There are many options before denying a woman the right to make her own decisions about her body.
Does this god ever speak for itself? And why did this invisible god create such flawed bodies that the supposedly sublimely natural act of making babies could actually result in the death of the mom. This is one helluva impotent god that can’t even speak for itself.
bettykath
At conception life begins. It may not be able to live on its own but it is life. within 3-4 weeks the heart begins to beat. Destroying that is destroying that which will become a human being. Without getting an abortion debate, more women have one due to economic reasons and not for health reasons. This is the part of the debate that if facts were properly given many would be disappointed.
David Blauw,
You are a veritable charm troll, in the Swedish meaning of troll. Loved your “letter is important” thingy.
Jim, You need to study a bit of biology. A zygote is not a baby. A morula is not a baby. A blastocyst is not a baby. An embryo is not a baby. It is an embryo until it is born.
There are lots of websites that claim “your baby” begins at conception, but they are emotional pleas for a woman to bond with the handful of cells that have the potential of becoming a baby.
Even the bible indicates the “breath of life”. And that a fetus is not of the same value as the life of the woman who is pregnant.
@Jim….. people like you are the reason for these idiotic laws. Get rid of that fictional BS called religion and the world will be a much better place. With that said, I have no problem with you believing whatever you so desire, just don’t try to force it on everyone else in the world. Killing people to abide by your religious beliefs is murder, plain and simple.
Jim,
So Do I (that you depart quickly).
It was too good to resist. Are you taking lessons from Tom Friedman?
Woosty’s still a Cat
The doctors did the right thing. Killing a life to try and save a life is not right. Innocent life is to be protected. Unfortunately for this mom she passed away. With her leukemia no one knows how long she would have lived or if the baby itself would have been healthy. I will say this, God’s wrath will come for all of the MILLIONS of innocent babies that have been taken through abortion. I just hope and pray I am not here when it happens.
Woosty, it takes two to tango. Why ‘for the male’ and ONLY the male? If the female is under 18 (in most states), it’s just as illegal for her to have sex as it is for the male to have sex with her. Sounds a bit ‘unequal’ to ME. ~Kraaken
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I was speaking in the ‘fundamentalist’ tone touted by those who set the rules in countries who are currently under those rules. I do hope we do not become one of them. That said, the risk in sexual endeavor is not shared equally any more than in child-birth or child-rearing. And men are not just dicks…so they shouldn’t act that way. I agree, it does take 2 to tango….which is why it absolutely needs to occur only in climates where the needs of both primary parties are considered. Women have been cut out of the conversation. This, in and of itself, is a form of theft and rape. You cannot divorce a human being from their own body for the simple use of it. Thats just nasty.
Justice Holmes,
I agree with you. Only I would say that the RCC mission included oppression of women anc children from the beginning. Now who is to blame for that is left to discuss.
Paulus is a scum figure who met primarily with jewish
synagogues who had a lot of Gentile hangarounds. And most cultures seemed to be patriarchal. So the mystery deepenx.
Woosty:>”Sex with women under the age of 18 should incur life in prison for the male.”<
Woosty, it takes two to tango. Why 'for the male' and ONLY the male? If the female is under 18 (in most states), it's just as illegal for her to have sex as it is for the male to have sex with her. Sounds a bit 'unequal' to ME.
I have heard very devout Catholic women opine that if men had babies abortion would be a sacrament.
The so called Catholic culture of life is nothing more than a culture of death for women and children. After the precious children are born the mothers and children are left to fend for themselves. The Church has forgotten its mission and turned its back on Christ, preferring money power and control over compassion, love and kindness.
Mespo….. Will you release the moderation que…… I posted a title of a movie…..inglorious b…….
The Roman Catholic Church takes Darwins scientifically based theory of Goo and denies it, by maintaining the RCC “theiry” of God. Who knew one letter could cause so much harm.
Two words summarizes the policy…. Inglorious Bastards…..Nation’s Pride…..
Proof positive that the theory of evolution is correct. No God would ever create humans this stupid. Yes we formed in a primordial goo, and have evolved to where we are today. Some people have walked slower than others out of this Goo.