Liechtenstein's parliament has narrowly voted 13-12 to back a citizens' initiative legalising abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but the measure is unlikely to become law because the country's powerful hereditary ruler, Prince Alois, has indicated he will veto it. The vote matters because it highlights a clash between apparent public and parliamentary support for reform and the extensive constitutional powers still held by Liechtenstein's monarchy, one of the last in Western Europe to retain such authority over legislation.

The initiative, led by 28-year-old Tatjana As'Ad of the Free List party, gathered nearly 5,000 signatures and would also lift a ban on providing abortion information and make the procedure eligible for health insurance. Currently, abortion is permitted in Liechtenstein only in limited cases such as risk to life or rape, with those flouting the law facing up to three years in prison; most women instead travel to Austria or Switzerland, a practice decriminalised since 2015 but not covered by insurance. Almost 80% of the population of roughly 41,000 are Roman Catholic, and a previous referendum on the issue was rejected by 52% of voters in 2011; MPs have now also rejected a proposal to hold a fresh public vote.