标签： Dominica

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.

As the 2025 general election race in Dominica heats up, United Workers Party candidate Juliette Shillingford has stepped forward to contest the Roseau Central constituency, bringing a professional, community-focused platform rooted in her decades of experience as an urban planner. Shillingford, a lifelong resident of the constituency, says her decision to enter politics stems from a long-held conviction that Dominica’s capital city has been overlooked for far too long — and that Roseau deserves more attentive, forward-thinking leadership than it has received to date.

Unlike many candidates who limit their engagement to criticizing incumbents’ failures, Shillingford says she chose to run to be part of the solution, turning decades of professional expertise in urban design into actionable policy for the community she calls home. Her core vision for Roseau centers on reimagining the capital as a regional Caribbean model that balances thoughtful modern development with careful preservation of the city’s unique cultural and natural heritage, a balance she argues current leadership has failed to deliver.

Shillingford’s policy priorities for the constituency cover environmental, infrastructure, social and economic goals. Top on her environmental and public space agenda is the expansion of accessible green public areas across the city, the full reconstruction of the iconic Roseau Botanical Gardens, and the completion of the long-delayed public library project that residents have waited years for. She has also pledged to overhaul the city’s aging street and sidewalk networks to make Roseau more walkable and accessible for pedestrians of all ages, while addressing the persistent issues of inadequate parking and crippling traffic congestion that disrupt daily life for residents and visitors alike.

Beyond physical infrastructure, Shillingford has emphasized that investing in Roseau Central’s young people is a non-negotiable part of her agenda, calling for expanded investment in youth education and sports programming to give the next generation the resources they need to thrive. She has also drawn attention to growing economic strains on local commerce, noting that a steady stream of established small businesses have closed in recent years, while more and more residents are forced to operate informal retail from their vehicles. Shillingford attributes this trend in part to a critical lack of affordable commercial space for emerging small enterprises, which she describes as the backbone of Roseau’s local economy.

To ensure her platform reflects the actual needs of Roseau Central residents rather than top-down partisan priorities, Shillingford is currently holding one-on-one and community meetings with constituents across the constituency to gather input for what she calls a “people’s vision manifesto”, a public document that will formalize her policy pledges ahead of election day.

At a recent United Workers Party (UWP) press conference, Ernie Jno Finn, the party’s official candidate for the Castle Bruce Constituency, framed her selection as a public recognition of her long-held dedication to advancing community progress, upholding unwavering integrity, and delivering genuine public service.

Opening her remarks with a memorable, crowd-pleasing quote from ancient philosopher Plato — “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors” — Jno Finn set a reflective yet determined tone for her announcement. She opened up about her rocky 2019 campaign experience, recalling a bittersweet moment when she claimed an overnight election lead that ultimately evaporated the next day. “That victory was stolen from me,” she shared, “but the challenging journey taught me invaluable lessons that will form the foundation of this new campaign chapter.”

Jno Finn expressed clear excitement to return to the electoral race, reaffirming her commitment to serving Castle Bruce constituents with honesty, dedication, and a laser focus on the local issues that impact daily life. She laid out three core pillars for her upcoming campaign: full transparency with voters, inclusive outreach across all community segments, and empowering local residents to shape their own collective future. Central to her policy agenda is rebuilding open lines of communication between constituents and their representative, upgrading local healthcare access, advancing proactive environmental protection, and centering the unmet needs of community members in all decision-making.

The candidate stressed that the Castle Bruce Constituency is grappling with a backlog of critical, long-unresolved issues that demand immediate action. One high-priority project she highlighted is the expansion of Castle Bruce Secondary School, where construction on needed additional classroom space began years ago but has been stalled repeatedly. If elected, Jno Finn pledged to see the long-delayed project through to completion to give students the learning space they desperately need.

She also called out unkept promises from incumbent officials for residents of Petite Soufriere and Good Hope, who were forced to evacuate and promised relocation after damage from a weather trough system. “A sitting minister publicly announced construction would start this past September — that was back in 2025,” Jno Finn pointed out. “To this day, not a single stone has been laid.” She made a firm commitment that if given the opportunity, she will deliver on that relocation promise for the affected families. Jno Finn added that addressing the widespread issue of inadequate housing across the constituency is another non-negotiable priority, noting that all residents deserve safe, stable housing regardless of their political leaning. “A government is elected to serve all people, not just those who supported it,” she emphasized.