Puerto Rico’s Republican governor signed a bill Thursday that would change the law to recognize unborn babies as persons, which opponents say could ultimately lead to ban abortion Within the United States.

Gov. Jenniffer González said in a statement that the measure “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing unborn children as persons.”

The amendment to Senate Bill 923 changes one of the Puerto Rican Criminal law defining murder.

The government said the amendment complements a law that recognizes first-degree murder if a suspect intentionally and knowingly kills a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the fetus at any stage of pregnancy.

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Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer Gonzalez signed a bill changing the law to recognize unborn babies as persons. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

The legislation is named after Keishla Rodríguez, a pregnant woman who was killed in April 2021. Her partner, former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo, was convicted of murder and sentenced to two life sentences.

Supporters of the law say it is intended to provide consistency between civil and criminal law, with a focus on harsher penalties for murdering pregnant women, and that the law has nothing to do with abortion, but critics argue it opens the door to eventually criminalizing the procedure in Puerto Rico while abortion remains legal.

“The fertilized egg is given legal personality,” Rosa Seguí Cordero, an attorney and spokesperson for the National Movement for Free, Safe and Accessible Abortion in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “We women are being disenfranchised.”

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Gov. Jenniffer González said the measure “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing unborn children as persons.” (Ricardo Arduungo/AFP via Getty Images)

Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of the College of Surgeons of Puerto Rico, believes the new law will lead to “defensive health care,” in which doctors may refuse to treat complicated pregnancies for fear of criminal prosecution over murder charges.

“This will bring complex clinical decision-making into the realm of criminal law,” he told The Associated Press, adding that it would have “catastrophic consequences.”

Diaz says revised law It also violates privacy laws by allowing a third party to come between the doctor and the pregnant woman. He also said new protocols and regulations need to be implemented.

“The system is not ready for this,” he said.

Critics of the law argue it opens the door for Puerto Rico to eventually criminalize abortion. (Karen Blair/AFP via Getty Images)

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Opponents of the law also said the amendment was approved without a public hearing.

“There is no question that this measure was not adequately analyzed before approval, leaving an unacceptable ambiguity regarding civil rights,” Annette Martinez Orabona, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “The legislative leadership has failed in its responsibility to the people, and neither has the governor.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.