Hereditary Prince Alois, the regent of Liechtenstein, promised in a June interview to block attempts to legalize abortion in the small European nation.

Key Takeaways:

• Abortion is illegal in Liechtenstein, a small European nation.

• A pro-abortion committee has launched a petition initiative to legalize abortion, hoping for enough signatures to launch a referendum.

• Even if the referendum passes, Hereditary Prince Alois has promised to veto it and uphold pro-life protections.

The Backstory:

Abortion is currently not legal in Liechtenstein, and doctors are prohibited from discussing abortion as an option with patients. Abortion advocates within the nation are seeking to change that, and have launched a referendum initiative called “Time Limit Solution for Liechtenstein.”

On a dedicated website, the pro-abortion committee explained the initiative's aim, saying, “We are advocating for legal abortion up to the third month, the repeal of the ban on providing information, and coverage of the costs by health insurance.”

The initiative committee says they have collected 4,970 signatures, making the petition drive the "second highest number of signatures in Liechtenstein's history." The attempt to legalize abortion may soon come before voters in a referendum. The population of Lichtenstein is just over 40,000.

The Details:

Despite the referendum initiative, it appears that preborn children in the nation may continue to be protected, as Prince Alois stated his opposition to abortion in a June interview.

“From my point of view, it is not right,” said Prince Alois in the interview, noting that abortion violates "the fundamental legal right to the protection of life."

As reported by Blue News, the prince of Liechtenstein has the final say on any legislation and can even veto the results of referendums.

Prince Alois has never used his veto power, though he did threaten to use it when legalized abortion was previously considered in 2011.

The Bottom Line:

''Every human life, especially that of an unborn child, needs to be protected," Prince Alois said in 2011. ''Abortion is not an acceptable solution for the problem of an unwanted pregnancy.''