Liechtenstein’s hereditary prince used his veto for the first time in his reign to overturn a bill aimed at bringing abortion laws in line with those in much of Europe.
The legislation was approved by Liechtenstein’s parliament last month after the presentation of a citizens’ initiative signed by around a quarter of the country’s voters.
The news left campaigners in the principality, which is home to some of Europe’s strictest abortion laws, reeling. “We are not really surprised, but still disappointed,” said Tatjana As’Ad, who led the initiative to revise the law and works for the small left-wing party, Liste Libre. “It’s surreal what’s happening right now in 2026 in a state in the middle of Europe.”
The veto would do little to stop abortions from happening, she said. “Liechtenstein will continue to have a situation where abortions are banned, but we know they exist. The veto just means they will continue to take place abroad.”
Abortions in the principality are only permitted in limited circumstances, such as when a woman’s life is in danger or a pregnancy is the result of rape. Since 2015, women have been legally allowed to travel abroad to terminate a pregnancy to avoid restrictions.
After activists launched the citizens’ initiative in February, more than 4,970 people – far more than the 1,000 signatures needed to send it to Parliament – backed the call to decriminalize abortion up to 12 weeks. The initiative also called for the procedure to be covered by health insurance and for the repeal of the national ban on sharing information about access to abortion.
The hope was to eliminate the many obstacles women face when forced to travel abroad, often to neighboring Austria or Switzerland, including cost, the need to arrange childcare and lack of vehicle.
As the initiative gained momentum, Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois said he would use his veto to oppose any revision of the laws. That promise weighed on the initiative, although lawmakers narrowly voted to support it and an August poll suggested 62 percent of voters favored reforming the law.
This week, the royal household confirmed Alois’ decision to “suspend his approval of the bill” in a statement. He said: “After careful consideration, he remains convinced that the proposed reform is not compatible with ensuring adequate protection of unborn life as a fundamental legal value. »
The royal household did not respond to another request for comment from the Guardian.
Activists, who said they met with Alois hours before he announced his decision, described it as a blow to Liechtenstein’s identity as a monarchy upheld by democratic principles.
“A single individual overturns a decision initiated by almost a quarter of eligible voters and adopted by Parliament,” the commission behind the citizens’ initiative said in a statement.
“Hereditary Prince Alois only threatened to veto a law twice during his reign, and each time it involved the legalization of abortion,” the statement added, referring to a 2011 statement by the regent.
“This is the first time he has effectively exercised this veto. The conclusion is clear: when it comes to abortion, there is only one decision-maker.”
It was a nod to the enormous power the monarchy holds over the Alpine nation, with the ruling prince able to appoint judges and fire the government or individual ministers, said Gabriella Alvarez-Hummel, a journalist and one of the activists behind the citizens’ initiative. “He really has a veto on everything,” she said.
In 2012, voters overwhelmingly voted to maintain his veto, in a referendum that was described at the time as a proxy debate over whether or not Liechtenstein should have a monarchy.
Alvarez-Hummel called this week’s decision “very troubling,” given that Liechtenstein was the last in Europe to grant women the right to vote in national elections in 1984.
“Liechtenstein is historically last in terms of women’s rights,” she said. “I had hoped that we wouldn’t be last on abortion rights either, but that’s not looking good at the moment.”
The campaign managed to register some successes, she said, highlighting how it broke the taboo that existed for decades regarding the subject in the country.
In his statement this week, Alois also said he was open to lifting the national ban on information on abortion, suggesting that women might one day be able to consult their health care provider about where to access the procedure abroad and receive support afterward.
Still, Alvarez-Hummel fears that the approximately 40 women who are forced to have the procedure abroad each year now face greater stigma and more deeply ingrained taboos.
“You live in a country where it’s forbidden, where the prince who lives in a castle has made sure it remains forbidden,” she said. “The only time he used his veto was against this – I can only imagine how difficult it must be for them to find out.” »
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