Only One Side Tells the Whole Truth About the Dominican Republic’s Debate Over Abortion “Then Jesus said to those Jews, who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Gospel According to Saint John 8:31-32.)
That magnificent promise, first voiced by Our Lord, is emblazoned on the Dominican Republic’s flag. In fact, while many nations’ flags bear Christian symbols—most notably crosses—the Dominican Republic’s flag is the only one in the world with a picture of the Bible and a printed scriptural quotation.
On July 31, 2025, the Dominican Congress lived up to those words, blocking a law that would have allowed abortion for the first time in the nation’s history. The vote, 159 to 4, wasn’t even close. The bill was then sent to President Luis Abinander, who signed it on August 3.
Defenders of Life Are Thankful
Of course, genuinely Catholic and pro-life groups rejoiced.
“This fight has been going on for decades. First they tried to introduce abortion through the health code, then through the criminal code. But each time they were stopped by Article 37 of the Constitution, which states that the right to life is inviolable from conception to natural death. While we did all we could with our own resources, the other side had well-funded groups, mobilization campaigns, and allies in the media.”
Señora Montalvo’s comment is a classic of understatement. Indeed, doing the research for this article, the only outlets that recognized the pro-life victory were those with connections to the Catholic Church.
“More than 20 organizations, backed by networks such as the Latin American Consortium Against Unsafe Abortion (CLACAI) and global groups including the International Planned Parenthood Federation, pressed legislators to liberalize. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also condemned the ban. Yet public sentiment has consistently resisted, rooted in a cultural and legal ethic that regards life as non-negotiable.”
Zenit, an Italian site dedicated to the Papacy and Curia, was jubilant.
“What makes the outcome extraordinary is not only the scale of the victory, but the imbalance of forces. The Dominican pro-life movement is modest in size, lean in resources, and largely ignored by the mainstream media. Opposing them was a coalition of more than twenty national feminist organizations…each pushing for liberalization under the banner of ‘sexual and reproductive rights.’”
A Victory For All
The Zenit article concluded, “The message from Santo Domingo is clear: here, life is not up for negotiation.”
The online Catholic news and information website, Aleteia, employed two familiar catchphrases of the leftists, democracy and identity, in their defense of the Dominicans’ defense of the unborn.
“Around 60 percent of Dominicans identify as Catholic, and legislators framed the decision as both a constitutional duty and a reflection of national identity.”
Dismay, Hyperbole and Angst on the Left
Non-Catholics, as well as the secular press, saw the Dominicans’ refusal to adopt the keystone secularist position as a calamity. An Associated Press (AP) article, repeated in its entirety by the Religion News Service (RNS) and the Congressionally oriented journal, The Hill, set its hyperbole meter high in the first paragraph.
“The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Women face up to 2 years in prison for having an abortion, while the penalties for doctors or midwives range from 5 to 20 years. Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s total abortion ban not only restricts women’s reproductive choices but also puts their lives in danger.”
After the AP spewed out its favorite taglines, it showed that it knew where the credit lay. The next point in the article began “No other nation bears a Bible on its flag.” It then proceeded to comment derisively on the influence of the Catholic Church in the Caribbean island nation.
The notoriously pro-abortion (and ludicrously named) Human Rights Watch displayed the international pressure brought against the Dominicans. In a single paragraph, they parroted almost every half-truth and outright lie in the pro-abortion quiver.
“Denying girls, women, and other pregnant people’s access to abortion is a form of discrimination that jeopardizes human rights including to life; health…; nondiscrimination; privacy; and access to information. Human rights treaty bodies have consistently urged the Dominican Republic to decriminalize abortion entirely, or at minimum, to ensure safe and legal access when the health of the pregnant woman or girl is threatened and for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or involving severe fetal impairment.”
The one leftist stalking horse that Human Rights Watch left out of their rant—institutional sexism—was supplied by their frequent allies at Amnesty International.
“It is no coincidence that abortion and the correct classification and punishment of sexual violence are among the issues still not addressed in this Penal Code. These omissions reflect a deeply patriarchal and sexist perspective that seeks to control women’s bodies, decisions and lives.”
Separating Truth and Lies
Perhaps readers will forgive the amount of pro-abortion propaganda printed in this article. The goal was to present the two sides of the story in the words of those involved. On one side, of course, one sees the long-held protections for the unborn that emanate from Holy Mother Church. The other is full of lies, half-truths and innuendoes.
Indeed, in this crucial battle, the Dominicans saw through the delusions and lived up to the words on their national banner, “The truth shall make you free.”v
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