A landmark ruling from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has struck down the unconstitutional criminalization of abortion in Dominica for a narrow set of specific circumstances, drawing praise from the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA), a leading regional advocate for sexual and reproductive health rights. The court’s decision decriminalizes abortion procedures in cases involving rape, incest, life-threatening risks to the pregnant person’s life or health, and diagnoses of severe fetal impairment.
Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, chief executive officer of CFPA, framed the ruling as a meaningful milestone for gender equity and human rights across the region, even as she acknowledged it falls short of the full decriminalization that many reproductive justice advocates have long demanded. “While this ruling is not far-reaching, it is nonetheless a significant step forward,” Sheerattan-Bisnauth said in an official statement. “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.”
For decades, broad abortion criminalization across the Caribbean has created disproportionate harm for marginalized groups, CFPA emphasized. Low-income women, adolescent girls, survivors of sexual violence, and people facing systemic barriers to healthcare access have borne the brunt of punitive laws, the organization noted. Criminalization does not eliminate abortion, CFPA argues, but instead drives procedures underground, fuels systemic gender inequality, deepens stigma around reproductive care, and forces vulnerable people into life-threatening situations.
Roxanne Christopher, CFPA’s board president, highlighted the collective effort that led to the court’s decision, extending recognition to the women who launched the legal challenge, the healthcare providers who continued to prioritize patient care despite legal risks, and the legal teams and civil society organizations that supported the case. “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,” Christopher said. “Women’s health is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right.”
The ruling, which was grounded in Dominica’s constitutional protections and widely accepted international human rights frameworks, carries broader implications for reproductive rights conversations across the entire Caribbean region, CFPA noted. The organization stressed that the decision confirms the inherent link between protecting women’s health and upholding universal human rights standards. Even so, CFPA was clear that the court’s action is only a first step toward comprehensive reproductive justice across the region. The organization pointed out that the vast majority of women and girls across the Caribbean still live under restrictive abortion laws, face widespread stigma when seeking reproductive care, and encounter persistent barriers to accessing affordable, high-quality services.
Moving forward, CFPA is calling on regional governments, policymakers, healthcare systems, faith leaders, civil society groups, and local communities to continue constructive, rights-centered dialogue on women’s health and wellbeing. Achieving further progress, the organization says, will require sustained action: broad legal reform to remove punitive restrictions, expanded access to affordable contraception, comprehensive evidence-based sexuality education, investment in high-quality maternal healthcare, and targeted efforts to eliminate systemic discrimination and stigma surrounding reproductive care.
Founded as a regional collective, CFPA works across the Caribbean to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, with core priorities including expanding access to quality care, advancing gender equality, upholding universal human rights, and creating equitable opportunities for women and young people across the region.