Prince Alois of Liechtenstein is expected to veto an initiative passed by the country’s parliament that would legalise abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Situated between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein – the majority of whose roughly 42,000 citizens identify as Roman Catholic – has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The tiny Alpine principality is also “one of the few places on earth where a royal family still reigns with real political power”, said The Australian Women’s Weekly. Unlike other European monarchies, the constitution allows the ruling prince to dismiss governments, appoint judges, call referendums and veto legislation.
Last week Liechtenstein’s parliament, the 25-seat Landtag, narrowly backed a citizens’ initiative that would legalise abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, by 13 votes to 12. However, the initiative is unlikely to become law given that Prince Alois (pictured above, right), who serves as regent for his father Prince Hans-Adam II, indicated to the Liechtensteiner Vaterland newspaper this year that he would veto any legislation of this kind, citing “the central legal interest of the protection of life”.
The last time the abortion debate was put to a public vote back in 2011, the royal family also threatened to use its power of veto if the result did not go in its favour (the proposal was narrowly rejected by 52.3% of the electorate). Such a step “would have plunged our nation into a severe crisis”, said Gabriella Alvarez-Hummel, a campaigner from Liechtenstein focused on reproductive rights, in The Guardian. More than a decade on, “speaking out in favour of legalising abortion is regarded as speaking out against the monarchy”. |
