Spanish
San Juan.- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC), feminists, religious figures, health professionals, and human rights defenders criticized the signing of Senate Project 923, which classifies the death of an unborn child as murder.
Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the local ACLU, emphasized that although abortion in Puerto Rico is legal, the fact that the Legislature has not held public hearings "is in itself a violation of the process of citizen participation and of sound legislative management".You may be interested in: http://Puerto Rico aprueba una ley que tipifica como asesinato la muerte del concebido no nacido
The legislative measure was signed into law yesterday, Thursday, by Governor Jenniffer González. In the opinion of Martinez Orabona, with this action, the governor "validates the undemocratic behavior of the current legislative leadership, which expeditiously approved the measure without public hearings, a procedure that did not allow for listening to and analyzing the positions of groups and people potentially impacted." "The legislative leadership did not fulfill that responsibility it has with the people, nor did the governor," he pointed out. Following the governor's signature, the MVC and its Network of Networks, along with feminists, religious figures, health workers, and human rights defenders, held a vigil in front of La Fortaleza, the seat of the Puerto Rican Executive, in rejection of the senatorial bill. The objective of the 'Vigil for the Right to Decide' was to demand an end to the approval of measures that threaten the health and autonomy of women and pregnant people. Agustina Luvis, from the Spirituality and Life Philosophies Network of the MVC, criticized the governor and her signature on the project for not "respecting the lives of women and the right to decide on matters of their bodies and their health, with our religious and philosophical beliefs". For her part, Mayra Vicil Bernier, from the MVC's Network of Law, Justice, and Security, emphasized that the measure, "although presented as a measure of protection for life, actually creates a serious legal, constitutional, and practical problem for the judicial and health system in Puerto Rico." "That single action completely alters the structure of our Penal Code, a system that was not designed to process pregnancies, medical decisions, or obstetric emergencies as violent crimes," he emphasized. Since the United States Supreme Court overturned the historic ruling known as 'Roe v. Wade' in June 2022, which had guaranteed the right to abortion since 1973, numerous bills have been introduced in Puerto Rico to limit abortion, but all have failed so far. The difference, according to experts, is that under the federal Constitution abortion is not a fundamental right, but in Puerto Rico, a Free Associated State of the U.S., it is protected by the constitutional right to privacy.
