Prince Alois of Liechtenstein vetoed an abortion bill on Tuesday. This bill, which sought to legalize abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, had been approved by the parliament of this microstate with the signatures of nearly 5,000 voters, equivalent to a quarter of registered voters.
Current Status of Abortion in Liechtenstein
Currently, performing an abortion in this principality is illegal, except in cases where the pregnancy poses a serious risk to the health of the pregnant woman or is a result of sexual assault. Women seeking abortions typically travel to clinics in neighboring countries such as Austria or Switzerland, which, according to activists, creates uncertainty and unnecessary financial burdens for the process.
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Reactions to the Veto of the Bill
This bill was introduced by the citizen initiative “Fristenlösung.” Prince Alois stated in a statement that the bill is “not suitable for adequate protection of the lives of infants as a central legal interest.” He had previously made it clear in June that he intended to veto the bill.
Tatiana Asaad, one of the activists of this initiative and co-leader of the opposition party “Free List,” stated: “We are disappointed, but we are not really surprised. It was clear that his decision was set since June and there was no way to change it.” She also mentioned that activists met with Prince Alois on Tuesday morning, but there were no signs of his veto announcement at that time.
Asaad added: “We are disappointed because we feel that everything we did since June has been ornamental.” She also emphasized that the biggest victory of their campaign was the Liechtenstein government's clarification regarding the prohibition of “information” about abortion, which effectively means a ban on “advertising” this act.
Liechtenstein, a small Alpine principality with a population of about 40,000, has an unusual political system that combines direct democracy based on referendums with a monarchy in which the ruling prince has extensive executive powers. Alois's absolute veto power was confirmed through a referendum in 2012, and he used it for the first time to block this legal proposal.
