Adilka Féliz: The Dominican Republic’s Total Abortion Ban Takes Another Innocent Life
Adilka Féliz, a 33-year-old legislative assistant and advocate for expanding abortion rights in the Dominican Republic, fell victim to the very system she fought against.
Last week, the world lost Adilka Féliz, a woman who would still be alive if it weren’t for the total abortion ban in the Dominican Republic. Her life is one of countless that have been lost since the abortion ban was introduced in 1884, which then became constitutional in 2010 with the ratification of Article 37, declaring a right to life from the moment of conception. No matter the circumstances.
Activists have been fighting for years for the introduction of the “3 Causales,” or the three causes. The 3 Causales are exceptions to the abortion ban in the case of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, or if the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the mother. Despite their tireless efforts and horrific track record of avoidable maternal death, infant mortality, and a litany of other related social implications like child marriage and poverty in the Dominican Republic, the 3 Causales still aren’t a reality in the Dominican Republic and a total ban on abortion remains in place.
According to Féliz’s mother, Berkis Paulino, who took to social media to raise awareness about the tragic loss of her daughter, Féliz’s last words were: “I, who have fought so hard for the approval of the three grounds for abortion, but how ironic is life, look at the position I find myself in today.”
Paulino also made a direct plea to President Luis Abinader, writing in a Facebook post: “Mr. President, @luisabinader, you also have daughters, on behalf of Claurys Adilka Féliz Paulino, we demand to resume the approval of the three grounds in the Penal Code (with the due regulation). We, people of faith and who fear to displease God, request that these issues be regulated so that we don’t continue to lose valuable mothers and women.”
To this day, her sister Juliana Mejía continues to fight for the 3 causales in memory of her sister and to prevent future tragedies. Mejía told Luz Media that the damage didn’t end with the loss of her sister. She described a suicide attempt by her niece, an attempted suicide by the Mejías’ father, and ultimately, a successful death by suicide of their father. Their family never fully recovered from the loss of their beloved Damaris. A death that Mejía describes as “obstetric state violence.”
Photo Credit: Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro
The Fight for Women’s Lives Continues
During his campaign, now-President Luis Abinader promised to advocate for legislation that would amend the penal code and make the 3 Causales law. As of yet, President Abdinar hasn’t kept his campaign promises. Both local and international advocates and allies are reminding him of his failure to keep his word.
Advocates for the “3 Causales” are intensifying the pressure on President Abdinar during a crucial re-election year for him when even U.S.-based Dominicans with the right to vote in Dominican elections are weighing in. Their goal is to put pressure on him to fulfill his promises.
Advocates launched a social media campaign asking the public to share the statement written by Féliz’s mother using the hashtag #PorAdilka and tagging President Abdinar’s social media handles @luisabinader, urging him to protect the lives of women and girls in the Dominican Republic.
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