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3h ago

Puerto Rico Governor Signs Law Recognizing Fetus as a Human Being in Penal Code

Critics warn the change injects legal uncertainty into medical decision-making.

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Governor Jenniffer González Colón, accompanied by the President of the House of Representatives, Carlos Johnny Méndez, Senator Migdalia Padilla, and Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja, signs the legislative resolution proposing to send, as a refund, checks to individual taxpayers with net income of up to $150,000, in the Hall of Mirrors at La Fortaleza, Old San Juan.
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Overview

  • Gov. Jenniffer González signed Senate Bill 923 on Thursday, amending the Penal Code’s definition of murder to include the unborn child as a human being.
  • Supporters say the measure aligns civil and criminal statutes and is intended to strengthen punishment in cases involving pregnant victims, asserting it is not about abortion policy.
  • Abortion-rights advocates, including Rosa Seguí Cordero, argue the change could pave the way to criminalize abortion, which remains legal in Puerto Rico.
  • Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgeons president, Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, warns of “defensive health care,” potential refusal of complex pregnancy care, privacy risks from third-party intervention, and the need for new protocols.
  • Officials note the amendment complements an earlier statute linked to the 2021 killing of pregnant victim Keishla Rodríguez, whose murderer, Félix Verdejo, received two life sentences.