In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the lower house of the national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies, took a key step Tuesday to refine the country’s upcoming new Penal Code, voting to launch an open public consultation process. The initiative is designed to collect citizen and stakeholder feedback on potential adjustments to the legislation, which is scheduled to go into full effect on August 3.
Chamber President Alfredo Pacheco outlined the framework of the consultation effort in remarks following the approval vote. Under the plan, legislators will open the door to recommendations from every major sector of Dominican society, and are prepared to hold public hearings to directly address widespread concerns about specific articles within the new code.
While no formal deadline has been established for members of the public to submit their proposed changes, legislative leaders aim to complete the review of all potential amendments during the current legislative session, which is scheduled to conclude on July 26. Pacheco emphasized, however, that the process will not be rushed: if more time is needed to carefully evaluate submissions, the consultation period can be extended past the end of the current session.
One critical clarification Pacheco made regarding the scope of the review is that the three legal grounds for abortion already enshrined in the new code will not be reopened for debate. The Chamber president noted that this contentious issue received years of extensive deliberation and negotiation throughout the multi-year process of developing and approving the new Penal Code, and it will not be revisited as part of this amendment consultation. All proposed adjustments will instead center on other provisions that have sparked public criticism or concern from stakeholder groups since the code’s final approval.