Deadline solution | Liechtenstein: Protest against princely veto

One demonstrator described the situation in the principality on her poster as the “Liechtenstein era”. Photo: dpa/KEYSTONE/Michael Buholzer “Deadline solution instead of princely solution” was chanted by around 250 people in Vaduz on Saturday, according to police reports. The organizers counted 400 people. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein had refused the necessary sanction for the deadline solution for abortions decided by the state parliament. It's the first time he withheld an endorsement.

As a result of the veto, abortions remain banned in the principality. The hereditary prince said in a statement at the beginning of the week that the time limit solution would contradict the protection of unborn life as a central right.

Petra Eichele, managing director of the women's advice center infra and supporter of the initiative, expressed disappointment in an interview with the Austrian public radio station Ö1. “I don’t think the interaction is on an equal footing,” she said.

"I don't feel like the interaction is on an equal footing."

In June, several women in Liechtenstein started collecting signatures for a popular initiative. They demanded an impunity-free abortion within the first three months. This is an “honest solution for Liechtenstein that strengthens self-determination, legal security and health care,” says the “Deadline Solution for Liechtenstein” initiative committee on its website.

It collected almost 5,000 signatures, which corresponds to almost a quarter of those eligible to vote in the principality. 1,000 signatures would have been enough for a discussion in the state parliament. In September, he voted 13 to twelve to implement the proposal. However, he decided not to hold a referendum. So the decision fell to the hereditary prince.

Since 2015, Liechtenstein women have been allowed to travel abroad to have an abortion without penalty. However, the procedure is only permitted in the country in exceptional cases. These include rape or endangering the mother's life.

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