Abortion In Liechtenstein
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Abortion in Liechtenstein is illegal in most circumstances with limited exceptions in cases where the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, or serious damage to her health which cannot otherwise be prevented, or where the pregnancy has resulted from a sexual offence.
Religion in Liechtenstein The religion in Liechtenstein is predominantly Catholic, with a minority of Protestants, non-adherents, and adherents of other religions; it also has a small Muslim population, composed mainly of immigrants from countries including Bosnia and He ...
is mainly Roman Catholic, which is reflected in the faith of the ruling Princely House of Liechtenstein and in the country's laws and culture around pregnancy.


Law

The Criminal Code (''Strafgesetzbuch'') of Liechtenstein (in section 96) states that: The above acts shall not be punishable if the termination of pregnancy is: * necessary to avert serious danger to the life or serious damage to the health of the pregnant woman that cannot be averted otherwise (and additionally the pregnancy is terminated by a physician); * the pregnancy is the result of a sexual offence or the pregnant woman was under-age at the time of conception (and additionally the pregnancy is terminated by a physician); or * undertaken to save the pregnant woman from an immediate danger to life that cannot be averted otherwise, under circumstances not permitting medical assistance to be obtained in time. Sections 97 and 98 of the ''Strafgesetzbuch'', respectively, prohibit termination of pregnancy without the consent of the pregnant woman and grossly negligent intervention in respect of a pregnant woman, including the promotion of abortion. Liechtenstein has a high quality health service.


Proposals

In a double referendum on abortion in November 2005, 81% of voters rejected a ''For Life'' proposal to prohibit all abortion – "The supreme task of the state is the protection of human life from conception to natural death and to promote the overall welfare of the People" – while 80% approved the counter-proposal from the
Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
(Parliament) to be included in the
Constitution of Liechtenstein The Constitution of the Principality of Liechtenstein () was promulgated on 5 October 1921, replacing the 1862 constitution. It was granted by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and established the rule of partial parliamentary democracy m ...
: * The dignity of man is to be respected and protected. * No one shall be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. * Everyone has the right to life. * The death penalty is prohibited. A proposal to legalize abortion, in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or when the unborn child was disabled, was defeated in a further
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
held in September 2011. The opponents, which included
Prince Alois Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968) is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, and the heir apparent to the throne of Liechtens ...
, got 500 votes more and eventually settled at 52.3 percent compared with 47.7 percent. Prince Alois had previously threatened to veto the proposal if it passed. In April and November 2012, the
Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
considered but did not advance proposals to relax
abortion law Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...
s. Until an amendment of the Criminal Code in 2015, the exception for rape was limited to cases where the victim of the rape was aged under 14 years old.


Statistics

Women in
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
who choose to have an abortion must cross the border, to either neighboring
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
or
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, to have the procedure carried out legally or to obtain advice in relation to abortion. In 2011, it was estimated that approximately 50 women a year had abortions, either illegally in Liechtenstein or abroad in either Switzerland or Austria.


See also

*
Healthcare in Liechtenstein The nation of Liechtenstein has a universal health care system with decentralized, free market elements through Health insurance mandate, mandated health insurance coverage for every person residing in the country (not necessarily just every cit ...


References

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