Santo Domingo.- The Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approvedin two roll calls the new Criminal Code of the Dominican Republic but deleted theparagraph regarding abortion, opting instead to create a special law on the issue,at the request of opposition PRSC party deputy Victor -Ito- Bisonó.
"Abortion because of rape, incest or embryo malformationsincompatible with life clinically proven, will be subject to the requirementsand protocols established by special law," says the paragraph in Article110.
Abortion is punishable with up to three years, and includesthe woman who causes or helps someone to do so. Moreover, the doctor, nurse,midwife, surgeon, pharmacist or other health professional who helps cause anabortion. A conviction could lead to as much as 10 years in prison.
President Danilo Medina vetoed the articles referring toabortion in the Criminal Code in November 2014, for legislators to specify theexceptions that should prevail in cases of criminal abortion.
In addition, the new Penal Code increases the punishment from30 to 40 years for those convicted of causing an abortion.