“The decision to legalize abortion in Argentina is a triumph for all women,” said Ysabel Paulino, a Dominican feminist and educator at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. “It is a fight we in the Dominican Republic have been waging – to defend the destiny of our bodies, what we do with our bodies and our right to life.”
Despite the current ban, Dominican women go to extreme lengths to self-induce, often in secrecy and without clear medical guidance. These women risk up to two years in jail, while medical professionals face up to 20 years in prison and the loss of their license for aiding in a termination.