Dominican women fight teen pregnancy while facing total abortion bans

Activist Marcia González works to empower Dominican girls through sex education and teenage clubs.

It was a busy Saturday morning at Marcia González’s church. A bishop was visiting, and normally she would have been there helping with logistics, but on this day she was teaching sex education at a local school.

“I coordinate activities at the church and my husband is a deacon,” Ms. González said. “The bishop comes once a year and children are being confirmed, but I am here because this is important for my community.”

For 40 years, Ms. González and her husband have pushed for broader sex education in the Dominican Republic, one of four Latin American nations that criminalises abortion without exceptions. Women face up to 2 years in prison for having an abortion; penalties for doctors or midwives range from 5 to 20 years.

With a Bible on its flag, the Caribbean country has a powerful lobby of Catholics and evangelicals who are united against decriminalising abortion.

President Luis Abinader committed to the decriminalisation of abortion as a candidate in 2020, but his government hasn’t acted on that pledge. For now, it depends on whether he is re-elected in May.

To help girls prevent unplanned pregnancies in this context, Ms. González and other activists have developed “teenage clubs,” where adolescents learn about sexual and reproductive rights, self-esteem, gender violence, finances and other topics. The goal is to empower future generations of Dominican women. Outside the clubs, sex education is often insufficient, according to activists. Close to 30% of adolescents don’t have access to contraception.

High poverty levels increase the risks of facing an unwanted pregnancy.