(2-14-26) Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González (Republican) signed into law on February 12th a bill amending the penal code to recognize unborn babies as human beings at “any stage of gestation.”

The measure was an initiative of Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colón, a Republican, shown here with her 1-year-old son, José. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico

Senate Bill 923 — which when signed became Law 18-2026 — amends Article 92 of the penal code, which currently states that “murder is the intentional, knowing, or reckless killing of a human being.”

The new law establishes that “for the purposes of this chapter, ‘human being’ shall include any conceived [unborn child] at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”

The law, “among other things, defines as first-degree murder the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”

The approval of Law 18-2026 stands out, noting that “the legislation aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the conceived unborn child as a human being.”

In December 2025, the governor also signed into law Senate Bill 504, which amended the civil code to state that “a human being in gestation or nasciturus is a natural person, including the conceived child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”