Liechtenstein’s prince vetoes law seeking to expand abortion

Last week, Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, used the first veto of his reign to stop a law which would have permitted abortion on demand in the first trimester. This quashing comes despite the bill seeking to liberalise abortion in Liechtenstein being approved by their parliament last month, with 13 votes to 12.

Liechtenstein is one of only a few European countries to ban abortion or maintain strict, limited grounds for the act. 

The most recent bill came as a result of an initiative that collected nearly 5,000 signatures from registered voters, which is about 25% of the total population of eligible voters within the country of roughly 40,000 people.

In the country, abortion is illegal in almost all cases, with limited exceptions when a woman’s life is at serious risk, or in the case of sexual assault. In 2012, a referendum on legalizing abortion until 12 weeks as well as in the case of fetal deformity was proposed. Several weeks before it was scheduled to be held, Hereditary Prince Alois, a devout Roman Catholic, stated that he would exercise his royal prerogative and veto any change in law that permitted abortion. The referendum resulted in a vote of 51.5% to 48.5% against legalizing abortion.

The Royal Veto

In an article for The Bridgehead, Jonathon Van Maren gives a breakdown of the history of the royal veto in relation to laws seeking to further expand on abortion access in Liechtenstein:

Within the constitutional monarchy framework, the ruling princes hold veto powers over laws and hold a range of other powers, including the right to convene or adjourn Parliament. Tensions between the ruling prince and parliament resulted in a referendum in 2003 that confirmed and enhanced royal veto power.

In response, abortion activists launched a citizen’s initiative to curtail the power of the ruling princes in 2013, proposing that their power to veto future referendums be limited or removed. Prince Alois stated through his spokeswoman that his previous intervention had been “a clear signal that abortion isn’t an acceptable solution for an unwanted pregnancy,” and that if the people voted to limit his royal veto, he would step back from his royal responsibilities by leaving the country entirely.

In a devastating defeat for the abortion movement, 76% of Liechtensteiners voted to uphold the royal veto.”

Official statement from Hereditary Prince Alois

On October 20th, the princely house released a statement declaring that the bill was “not suitable for adequately protecting unborn life as a central legal interest”, and, “The Hereditary Prince will therefore withhold his sanction from the bill adopted by the Landtag on 2 September 2026 introducing a time-limit regulation in Liechtenstein.”

The media release goes on to state that “the Hereditary Prince sees opportunities to further develop the existing framework, which has been in force since 2015, through targeted measures. For example, he is open to lifting the advertising ban and supports efforts to improve information, counselling and support for women before, during and after pregnancy.”

The statement concludes with a direct quote from the Prince, where he says:

“I am convinced that many people share the objective of providing the best possible support to women in difficult situations while at the same time protecting unborn life”.