Liechtenstein voters defeat abortion law

[Tender Branson]

Liechtenstein rejects plan to legalize abortion

September 18, 2011

GENEVA—Voters in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein on Sunday rejected a plan to legalize abortion, following a bitterly fought campaign that saw the country's prince threaten to veto the proposed change in the law.

Opponents won the referendum with a majority of 514 votes, out of 11,510 ballots cast. The official count put no-votes at 52.3 percent, ahead of 47.7 percent who favored the plan to decriminalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or if the child is severely disabled.

Under existing law, women who have an abortion risk one year imprisonment, except in cases where the mother's life is in danger or she is under 14 at the time she got pregnant. Doctors who carry out an abortion can go to prison for three years.

Campaigners for the change argued that the threat of prosecution meant women had to go secretly to neighboring Austria or Switzerland even just to get advice on their options in an unwanted pregnancy.

But opponents in the Catholic majority country warned that the proposal went too far and could lead to late-term abortions of disabled children.

Their concerns were echoed by Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, the country's de facto ruler, who said in a speech last month that he would use his veto power to block decriminalization.

The move prompted backers of the change, as well as democracy campaigners, to accuse him of interfering in the democratic process and of discouraging people from voting.

The outcome of the vote means a counterproposal backed by Liechtenstein's two main political parties is likely to come before the country's parliament and people soon.

Under the alternative proposal, which Alois has yet to comment on, abortion will continue to be a criminal offense in Liechtenstein. But having an abortion abroad wouldn't be punished anymore.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2011/09/18/liechtenstein_rejects_legalizing_abortion

[Antonio the Sixth]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

[Keystone Phil]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein

Very socially progressive of you.

[MaxQue]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein

Very socially progressive of you.

Well, Liechtenstein isn't a democracy, the Prince can veto any law passed by the government.

[Beet]

Well at least this is moving in the right direction, unlike Poland and Russia. A 47.7 percent to liberalize the status quo is not so bad.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Hooray!

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I wish we had their kind of restrictions on abortion. The royals got it right this time.

[Boris]

How many abortions would even occur there every year if it were legal? More than 10?

[greenforest32]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

Don't forget Luxembourg!

[Joe Republic]

If Liechtenstein joined the United States, would this 36,000-inhabitant-country be allotted three electoral votes, as much as Alaska or Montana?

Congratulations, that was the most retarded question this forum has ever been asked.  And we've had 4300 BRTD polls, so double congrats.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

If Liechtenstein joined the United States, would this 36,000-inhabitant-country be allotted three electoral votes, as much as Alaska or Montana?

Very relevant question.

[Platypus]

Hooray!

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

...

[Duke David]

And we've had 4300 BRTD polls, so double congrats.

Do I need to know what a "BRTD poll" is?

[Antonio the Sixth]

And we've had 4300 BRTD polls, so double congrats.

Do I need to know what a "BRTD poll" is?

No.

[Хahar 🤔]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

It's really an awful country.

[republicanism]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

It's really an awful country.

Indeed. But not because of their abortion law.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Could some country please invade and annex Lienchtenstein so that Europe finally gets rid of this furuncle ? Switzerland, Austria or Portugal, I don't care.

It's really an awful country.

Indeed. But not because of their abortion law.

Well, this adds to the 10⁹⁹ other reasons why this country shouldn't exist.

[ZuWo]

To all those who criticise Liechtenstein: Why should that country be any worse than places like Germany, France, Italy or Austria? I think it's great that such a tiny country in the heart of Europe even exists. It is, among many other aspects of course, countries like Liechtenstein which demonstrate how fascinating European diversity is.

[Tender Branson]

How many abortions would even occur there every year if it were legal? More than 10?

Considering that Switzerland had 80.300 births in 2010 and 11.000 reported abortions, we could assume that based on the 400 annual births in Liechtenstein, there would be roughly 50-60 abortions each year. But because the rate of reported abortions in Switzerland is much lower in the German-speaking part than in the French-speaking part, it's more like 30 abortions per year.

[Tender Branson]

In Switzerland, conservative activists have recently collected more than 100.000 signatures to hold a referendum. They want that the federal health care system does not any longer pay for abortions in Switzerland. I don't know exactly when this referendum will take place, probably sometime next year. I also don't know how it will play out, in 2002 Switzerland has approved the abortion low with more than 70% support of the voters. Maybe ZuWo knows more about it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

To all those who criticise Liechtenstein: Why should that country be any worse than places like Germany, France, Italy or Austria?

Because it's a corrupt tax haven. The abortion business is neither here nor there.

[hawkeye59]

Can't somebody from Liechtenstein just walk the 5 blocks to Switzerland and get an abortion?

[Хahar 🤔]

To all those who criticise Liechtenstein: Why should that country be any worse than places like Germany, France, Italy or Austria?

Because it's a corrupt tax haven. The abortion business is neither here nor there.

And undemocratic to boot.

[ZuWo]

In Switzerland, conservative activists have recently collected more than 100.000 signatures to hold a referendum. They want that the federal health care system does not any longer pay for abortions in Switzerland. I don't know exactly when this referendum will take place, probably sometime next year. I also don't know how it will play out, in 2002 Switzerland has approved the abortion low with more than 70% support of the voters. Maybe ZuWo knows more about it.

Yes, you summarized the referendum very neatly. The referendum was launched under the name "Abtreibungsfinanzierung ist Privatsache" and is supported by parts of the CVP (Christian-Democratic Party), the SVP (Swiss People's Party) and minor Christian conservative parties. For those of you who speak German, this is the exact wording of the bill:

Im Bundesblatt veröffentlicht am 26. Januar 2010. Die unterzeichneten stimmberechtigten Schweizer Bürgerinnen und Bürger stellen hiermit, gestützt auf Art. 34, 136, 139 und 194 der Bundesverfassung und nach dem Bundesgesetz vom 17. Dezember 1976 über die politischen Rechte, Art. 68ff., folgendes Begehren:

I. Die Bundesverfassung wird wie folgt geändert:
Art. 117 Abs. 3 (neu)
3 Unter Vorbehalt von seltenen Ausnahmen seitens der Mutter sind Schwangerschaftsabbruch und Mehrlingsreduktion im Obligatorium nicht eingeschlossen.
II. Die Übergangsbestimmungen der Bundesverfassung werden wie folgt ergänzt:
Art. 197 Ziff.8 (neu)
8. Übergangsbestimmung zu Art. 117 Abs. 3 (Kranken- und Unfallversicherung).
Nach Ablauf einer Übergangsfrist von neun Monaten nach der Annahme durch Volk und Stände wird bis zum Inkrafttreten der geänderten Bundesgesetzgebung jede Bestimmung, welche den Schwangerschaftsabbruch oder die Mehrlingsreduktion obligatorisch versichert, durch die Regelung von Artikel 117 Absatz 3 der Bundesverfassung ersetzt.

http://www.privatsache.ch/

To my knowledge, it is not clear yet when a vote shall take place. First the Federal Council can comment on the bill and then both the National and the State Council will have their say on it. This may take up to two or three years.