Puerto Rico Is Pro-Life? New Law Defines Unborn Babies as Human Beings in Homicide Cases

Last week, Puerto Rico amended its penal code to recognize unborn children as human beings in cases of violent crime, a move celebrated by pro-life advocates and condemned by opponents who argue it could lay the legal groundwork for sweeping abortion bans in the territory.

Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón signed Senate Bill 923 into law, enacting what is now known as Law 18-2026 in Puerto Rico.  The measure, scheduled to take effect later this year, amends Article 92 of Puerto Rico’s Penal Code, which currently outlines the definition of murder as “the intentional, knowing, or reckless killing of a human being.” The governor stated that the bill “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being.” 

The legislation builds on a separate statute, Law 166-2025, enacted last year after the 2021 kidnapping and murder of Keishla Rodríguez, a pregnant woman whose killer later received two life sentences for the deaths of Rodríguez and her unborn child. The 2025 law classified the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman that results in the death of her unborn child, at any gestational stage, as first-degree murder. 

Rosa Seguí Cordero, an attorney and spokesperson for the National Campaign for Free, Safe and Accessible Abortion in Puerto Rico, criticized the measure in comments to the Associated Press. She argued, “A zygote was given legal personality,” and that “We women were stripped of our rights.”

Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgeons, warned this could result in what he described as “defensive healthcare,” where physicians potentially decline to handle high-risk pregnancies out of concern they could face criminal liability. Speaking to the Associated Press, the doctor said the change would move “complex clinical decisions into the realm of criminal law.”  

The Puerto Rican measures are similar in concept to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, a federal law passed in the United States in 2004. This law recognized that a “child in utero” is a legal victim if injured or killed during the act of certain federal crimes. 

Puerto Rico’s abortion debates have been shaped by its complicated history with sterilization. The territory was historically subjected to a government-backed sterilization program, influenced by eugenics, that operated for decades in the mid-20th century. After the passage of Law 116 in 1937, the government permitted sterilization procedures under the supervision of a eugenics board; officials described this as an effort to combat overpopulation. By the 1950s, sterilization had become widespread across the island, ultimately affecting roughly one-third of Puerto Rican women. Opposition from Catholics and nationalists eventually put an end to these practices with the repeal of the sterilization law in 1960. 

Supporters of the measure celebrated its passage on social media. “Puerto Rico is pro-life!!” claimed Dr. Calum Miller on X. A critic claimed the legislation is not a pro-life win, writing,  “Puerto Rico did not ban or even restrict abortion, but the governor wants to pretend that she did. It’s such a joke.”

Others debated whether the U.S. territory is more liberal or conservative. One X user claimed Puerto Rico is more liberal, “Give Puerto Rico its independence… Democrats will certainly try to grant them statehood if they win in 2028, thereby granting them 2 additional Senate seats and 6 Electoral College votes.” A Puerto Rican citizen refuted, “Puerto Rico literally has laws prohibiting and criminalizing child mutilation and they are 90% Christian. Also, abortion is totally banned. PR is even more conservative than some ‘republican’ states.” However, contrary to this claim, abortion remains legal in Puerto Rico.