(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. The law comes after a series of other pieces of legislation establishing stronger protections for the unborn.
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. However, it comes in addition to a spate of new laws that, taken together, provide a solid foundation for a pro-life Puerto Rico.
Just a few days earlier, Governor González signed Law 166-2025, which states that a crime against a pregnant woman that results “in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb,” will be treated as “first-degree murder,” Catholic News Agency noted. The recent laws signed by González in December follow another piece of legislation (Law 122-2025, signed in late October) that mandates informed consent by at least one guardian if a minor girl is seeking an abortion. The law also mandates that law enforcement be notified if rape is suspected.
Puerto Rico’s new laws lays the groundwork for future and ongoing legal protections for developing human beings and set an important standard for other territories and states in the U.S.
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.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include mention of Puerto Rico’s additional life-affirming laws passed in recent months.
