Advocates Demand Protections for Reproductive Justice Amid New Legislative Threats

San Juan, P.R. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico joined the March for Reproductive Justice this Thursday in Río Piedras as an urgent expression in defense of bodily autonomy, access to health care services, and the dignity of all people in the face of recent measures that threaten reproductive rights in Puerto Rico.

The organization noted that, in recent months, the government of Puerto Rico has enacted legislation that deepens the climate of uncertainty surrounding access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. These include Law 183-2025, which recognizes the unborn as a natural person in the Civil Code; Law 18-2026, which inserted that language into provisions of the Penal Code; and Law 122-2025, which imposes new requirements in cases involving minors under the age of 15.

“In Puerto Rico, defending access to abortion and reproductive health care services means defending the dignity, autonomy, and right of each person to make decisions about their own body. It also means defending access to adequate sexual and reproductive education, stigma-free health care services, and dignified conditions for motherhood, as well as the right of girls to be girls, not mothers,” said Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico emphasized that reproductive rights are fundamental rights and that the country needs more guarantees of access, not more obstacles. The organization also reiterated that it will continue to denounce any attempt to restrict rights through legislation, public policy, or practices that put people’s health, privacy, and freedom at risk.

The March for Reproductive Justice took place this Thursday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in Río Piedras. The demonstration departed from 1007 Muñoz Rivera Avenue and brought together people and organizations who raised their voices in defense of reproductive rights in Puerto Rico.