(Oregon Right to Life) — The governor of Puerto Rico this month signed legislation affirming that human life begins at conception and that the unborn are therefore persons under the law.
In a December 21 statement, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced she had signed Senate Bill 504 into law. The measure amends the Spanish-speaking U.S. territory’s Civil Code to formally recognize that “Every human being is a natural person, including the conceived child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”
The move has garnered praise from pro-life leaders in the U.S., with National Right to Life (NRLC) President Carol Tobias calling it a “landmark achievement for the pro‑life movement” and Live Action President and Founder Lila Rose proclaiming it to be a “[h]uge win for life!”
“Puerto Rico’s clear and courageous recognition of preborn babies as persons reflects a deep respect for life and provides a powerful example for lawmakers throughout the United States,” Tobias said in a press statement. “Legal personhood for the preborn is not only consistent with science and human dignity but is the foundation upon which a culture of life can flourish.”
“This measure underscores the essential truth that every human being—born and unborn—deserves equal protection under the law,” Tobias added.
In comments to OSV News, Kelsey Pritchard, communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said Puerto Rico’s new pro-life law “is a historic victory for babies and moms across the island and a powerful example for lawmakers throughout the United States.”
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Importantly, the measure does not change Puerto Rico’s statutes dealing with the legality of abortion – abortion is currently legal in the island territory throughout pregnancy.
Many U.S. states also have laws on the books recognizing, at least in principle, that unborn human beings are legal persons. But like Puerto Rico’s new law, that recognition does not always impact the accessibility and legality of abortion. For example, Montana’s Code Ann. § 50-20-102 “extend[s] to unborn persons the inalienable right to defend their lives and liberties,” but abortion remains legal in Montana – a November 2024 ballot measure even enshrined a “right” to abortion in the state constitution. Unlike Montana, though, Idaho both recognizes the unborn as legal persons and outlaws nearly all abortions with narrow exceptions.
But regardless of the immediate impact on abortion access, pro-life advocates recognize that legislation affirming the personhood of the unborn lays the groundwork for future and ongoing legal protections for developing human beings.
National Right to Life noted in its press statement that the signing of Puerto Rico’s Senate Bill 504 “marks one of the strongest pro‑life affirmations within U.S. jurisdictions,” noting that the measure is “a principled and scientifically grounded step to align its civil law with the biological reality that human life begins at fertilization.”
