Puerto Rico steps into abortion restriction debate

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Powerful lawmakers in Puerto Rico are joining conservatives in states across the U.S. mainland in attempting to set tighter restrictions on abortions, alarming feminist groups and others on the island.

A recently introduced bill would prohibit abortions starting at 22 weeks, or when a doctor determines that a fetus is viable, with the sole exception being if a woman’s life is in danger. That is roughly in line with most U.S. state laws, though more limiting than Puerto Rico's current status, which sets no term limit.

The move comes at a time when a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has many speculating that it may reverse or weaken the constitutional right to abortion recognized under the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

A Puerto Rico Senate committee approved the bill last week in a 9-3 vote despite objections from the island’s health and justice departments. The health secretary said the measure interferes with the patient-doctor relationship and doesn't take into account circumstances that affect women's health and access to abortion services. The justice secretary objected to the bill's call for a government registry of those who terminate pregnancies and the reasons behind it, which he said could endanger patients' right to privacy.

Feminist groups and others also complained of a lack of public hearings before the bill was approved.

Some were further angered when José Luis Dalmau, president of Puerto Rico’s Senate and the opposition Popular Democratic Party, said last week that those who abort a viable fetus are “murderers.”

His speech brought criticism from former governors of his own party, which has long been considered more liberal than the New Progressive Party of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi.

While many polls show...