NewsWhore
07-26-2012, 04:30 PM
Dr. Pedro Sing, of the team of physicians caring for a 16-year old who suffers from acute leukemia, announced the chemotherapy treatment was started and so far both the mother and child are stable. The announcement follows the controversy regarding the care of the patient given that abortion is outlawed in the Dominican Republic and the treatment could cause significant damage to the fetus.
The controversy was to whom to give priority: to the mother, or to the fetus as established in Art. 37 of the 2010 Constitution.
The president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Perez said yesterday that Art. 42 of the Constitution on the right to personal integrity overrides Art. 37 on the right to life. Pared Perez was president of the Senate that passed the 2010 Constitution that outlawed legal abortion in the Dominican Republic. The opinion was given after physicians delayed treatment to a 16-year old concerned the chemotherapy could lead to the death of her 9-week old fetus.
Art. 42 of the 2010 Constitution establishes: "All persons have the right to have their physical, psychological and moral integrity respected and to live without violence. All persons shall be protected by the State from any threat, risk or violation thereof. The article also establishes: No one shall be subjected, without prior consent, to any experiment or procedure not compliant with internationally accepted scientific and bio-ethical standards; or to any medical procedure or examination, unless his or her life is in danger.
Art 37 reads: Right to Life. The right to life is inviolable from conception to death.
The controversy has led the authorities to reevaluate the strict laws about abortion rights in their country. An estimated 75,000 illegal abortions are carried out every year in the country.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
The controversy was to whom to give priority: to the mother, or to the fetus as established in Art. 37 of the 2010 Constitution.
The president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Perez said yesterday that Art. 42 of the Constitution on the right to personal integrity overrides Art. 37 on the right to life. Pared Perez was president of the Senate that passed the 2010 Constitution that outlawed legal abortion in the Dominican Republic. The opinion was given after physicians delayed treatment to a 16-year old concerned the chemotherapy could lead to the death of her 9-week old fetus.
Art. 42 of the 2010 Constitution establishes: "All persons have the right to have their physical, psychological and moral integrity respected and to live without violence. All persons shall be protected by the State from any threat, risk or violation thereof. The article also establishes: No one shall be subjected, without prior consent, to any experiment or procedure not compliant with internationally accepted scientific and bio-ethical standards; or to any medical procedure or examination, unless his or her life is in danger.
Art 37 reads: Right to Life. The right to life is inviolable from conception to death.
The controversy has led the authorities to reevaluate the strict laws about abortion rights in their country. An estimated 75,000 illegal abortions are carried out every year in the country.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)