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Here is a not-so-funny story about a micro-state.
Liechtenstein is a tiny sovereign country with about 41,000 people, less than half our population.
It is a constitutional monarchy, a democracy with a hereditary monarch.
Women there were the last In Europe to get the right to vote; they finally got it in 1984.
In 2012, voters gave overwhelming support to retain the monarchy, complete with veto power. And there is the rub.
Abortion is severely restricted in the principality. It is legally allowed only to save the life of the woman or for pregnancy following rape. Of course, abortions are available anyhow, and women also travel to neighbouring Switzerland or Austria for abortion care.
A pro-choice group wanted to expand the grounds for legal abortion. They had to obtain 1,000 signatures to submit their proposal to parliament. They got nearly five times as many signatures, 4,970. They wanted to decriminalize abortion for up to 12 weeks.
In August, a poll showed that 62% of voters supported the reform.
Last month, Parliament passed the Bill. The monarch, Prince Alois, vetoed it. It was his first use of the veto in his reign of 22 years. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/23/liechtenstein-princes-surreal-abortion-veto-dismays-campaigners
He contended that the proposed reform was incompatible with ensuring adequate protection for unborn life.
Monarchy and democracy are strange bedfellows.
Three months ago, we received the High Court’s positive decision on our constitutional challenge. The Court ordered the Government to expand the grounds for legal abortion. The Government does not have a veto in law; but it does have one in practice: it could do nothing. We will soon know.
Sincerely,
ASPIRE
ASPIRE is a pro-motherhood, pro-family, pro-choice, non-governmental advocacy group registered in Dominica and five other Caribbean countries. It promotes research and dialogue with civil society and governments to advance fairness and justice in reproductive health.
