February 12, 2026 – La Fortaleza, San Juan, Puerto Rico — Governor Jenniffer González-Colón signed Senate Bill 923 into law, clarifying that, for purposes of subsections (g) and (h) of Article 93 of the Puerto Rico Penal Code, Article 92 of the Act defines the term “human being” to include the conceived unborn at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.
This measure, Administration Bill A-098, was submitted by the Governor to the Legislature on January 12. With her signature last night, the bill becomes Law 18–2026.
The new law amends Article 92 of the Puerto Rico Penal Code with the express purpose of expanding Law 166–2025, known as the Keyshla Madlane Act, which, among other provisions, classifies as first-degree murder the killing of a pregnant woman knowingly and with intent when such act also results in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.
The new law seeks to maintain coherence between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the conceived unborn as a human being, as well as protecting human life from conception.
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