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Summary: A pregnant leukemia patient, whose life was at risk because anti-abortion laws in the Dominican Republic prevented doctors from treating her, has started receiving chemotherapy.
[27 July 2012] -- A pregnant leukemia patient, whose life was at risk because anti-abortion laws in the Dominican Republic prevented doctors from treating her, has started receiving chemotherapy, officials said Thursday. The 16-year-old started chemotherapy treatment in the country's capital late Tuesday night, hospital officials said. The patient, whose identity has not been released because she's a minor and because of the hospital's privacy policy, is 10 weeks pregnant. Doctors were hesitant to give her chemotherapy because such treatment could terminate the pregnancy -- a violation of the Dominican Constitution, which bans abortion. Dr. Antonio Cabrera, legal representative for the Medical Center for Teachers (known by its Spanish acronym SEMMA) confirmed the news Thursday. "The patient is receiving chemotherapy," Cabrera said. "And the hospital is following the appropriate medical protocol in this case." Doctors at SEMMA started evaluating the teen for chemotherapy last week, pending an official decision on whether they could proceed with the treatment. Representatives from the Dominican Ministry of Health, the Dominican Medical College, the hospital and the girl's family talked for several days about how to proceed. A decision was made early this week, Cabrera said.