Rosaura died on August 17, 2012, in Santo Domingo, at the age of 16. A month and a half earlier, she had been diagnosed with leukemia, and, at the same time, the doctors informed her she was a few weeks pregnant. They denied her the chemotherapy treatment she needed using the excuse of not wanting to harm the pregnancy.
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Damaris Mejia.
Damaris died on August 4, 2012, at the age of 31, in Santo Domingo. Damaris, the mother of two children, ages 9 and 12, was in her third pregnancy when she died of an infection caused by the fetus that had been dead in her womb for several days. Due to the criminalization of abortion in all circumstances, she encountered three health centers that refused to provide her with the necessary care she needed, fearing potential criminal prosecution.
Carmen Dionelys Martinez Bonilla.
Carmen died on July 31, 2018, at the age of 20, in Santiago. Carmen Dionelys had sickle cell anemia, and as soon as the pregnancy began, her health complications started. Despite the diagnoses, the medical staff allowed the pregnancy to progress until she was admitted at week 20 of gestation due to a general infection in her body. She was rushed to Santiago, where she died.
Winifer Nuñez Beato.
Winifer died on June 2, 2021, in Santiago, at the age of 25. She became aware, starting from the second month of her pregnancy, that the fetus would not survive outside the womb and that even continuing the pregnancy could put her life at risk. Although she requested that the pregnancy be terminated, three doctors refused to proceed due to the country's total ban on abortion. She died while being 7 months pregnant, leaving behind a three-year-old daughter who is now orphaned.
You can be part of the solution. Ask Dominican legislators and President Luis Abinader to make history and save lives, including these three exemptions in the new Penal Code.