The Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) welcomes the landmark decision of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court declaring unconstitutional the criminalization of abortion in Dominica in cases of rape, incest, severe fetal impairment, and where a woman’s life or health is at risk. This judgment represents an important milestone in advancing women’s health, dignity, and human rights in the Caribbean.
“While this ruling is not far-reaching, it is nonetheless a significant step forward. It affirms that women and girls should never face criminal punishment for seeking essential healthcare under the most difficult and traumatic circumstances. It also recognizes that laws rooted in our colonial past can no longer deny women their constitutional rights, health, and dignity.” – Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth (CEO).
For too long, criminalization has forced women and girls into impossible choices, between protecting their health and risking prosecution, between seeking safe medical care and resorting to unsafe procedures. The greatest burden has fallen on those with the fewest resources: women living in poverty, adolescents, survivors of rape and incest, and those with limited access to quality healthcare. Criminalization has never eliminated abortion; it has only deepened inequality, stigma, and preventable suffering.
Board President, Roxanne Chrisopher commended the courage of the women who brought this case, the healthcare professionals who remained steadfast in their ethical duty of care, and the legal advocates and civil society organizations whose persistence has helped move the Caribbean one step closer to justice.
“As a regional organization committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights, CFPA believes that every woman deserves access to compassionate, evidence-based healthcare delivered with dignity, respect, and without fear of criminal sanction. Women’s health is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right.”
The Court’s reliance on constitutional protections and international human rights standards sends an important signal across the Caribbean that protecting women’s health is inseparable from protecting human rights.
At the same time, we recognize that the journey is far from over. Millions of women and girls across the Caribbean continue to live under outdated laws that criminalize essential reproductive healthcare and perpetuate fear, stigma, and inequality. This judgment opens a door, but it does not complete the journey. Much remains to be done to ensure that all women, regardless of where they live or their economic circumstances, can exercise their right to health, bodily autonomy, and informed decision-making.
CFPA therefore calls upon governments, parliamentarians, healthcare professionals, faith leaders, civil society organizations, and communities to engage in respectful, evidence-informed dialogue that places the health, dignity, and wellbeing of women and girls at the centre of public policy. Advancing women’s health requires legal reform, comprehensive sexuality education, access to modern contraception, quality maternal healthcare, and the elimination of stigma and discrimination that prevent women from accessing essential services.
The struggle continues for laws that protect rather than punish; for healthcare that heals rather than excludes; and for a Caribbean where every woman and girl can make decisions about her health with dignity, safety, and hope.
Because when women are healthy, informed, and empowered, families flourish, communities become stronger, and nations become more just.
The Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation is a leading regional organization advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights across the Caribbean. Working through its network of Members and Partners, CFPA promotes universal access to quality healthcare, gender equality, human rights, and the advancement of women and young people.
Media Contact:
Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA)
Email: ceo.cfpa@gmail.com
Telephone: Tel + (473) 440-3341 / + (592) 647-7298
Website: www.caribbeanfamilyplanning.com
