Abortion
Abortion is prohibited in Liechtenstein. Although women who have an abortion abroad are not liable to prosecution, there is no official data on the number of abortions performed by women living in Liechtenstein. The advice center of the schwanger.li foundation recorded 16 consultations on pregnancy conflicts in 2024. Comparable figures from Switzerland suggest that around ... abortions are performed in relation to the resident population.
The Federal Statistical Office has published figures for 2024, which currently indicate 12,205 abortions in Switzerland. The current figures result in a rate of 7.3 abortions per 1,000 women who have an abortion. Assuming a similar rate and a similar population composition in Liechtenstein, this results in approximately 20 potential abortions in Liechtenstein per year. In Austria, the figures are significantly higher again, with around 12 abortions per 1000 women.
In Liechtenstein, abortion is generally prohibited under §§ 96-98a StGB. Anyone who performs an abortion, whether on themselves or on a pregnant woman, including medical staff, can be punished with a prison sentence of up to three years. If the abortion is carried out without the consent of the pregnant woman, the penalty is also up to three years in prison; if the abortion results in the death of the pregnant woman, the penalty can be up to five years. However, impunity exists in certain cases. In addition to the ban on abortion, the law also prohibits public information about abortion options and services. This means that no comprehensive information and counseling on abortion may be provided in Liechtenstein. According to Art. 12 CEDAW, women have the right to access health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, without discrimination. In Liechtenstein, this means that those affected would be entitled to comprehensive information and counseling on abortion in order to make informed decisions. However, such counseling is currently not allowed to be offered comprehensively. Yet they are essential in order to provide women in an often stressful situation with confidential, low-threshold information on medical, legal and psychosocial aspects.
From a human rights perspective, abortion is primarily protected by a woman's right to self-determination, health and privacy. International standards such as the UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, CEDAW, CRC and CRPD emphasize access to safe and legal abortions, especially for adolescents and women with disabilities. The legal protection of the foetus is regulated nationally, with the ECtHR stating that the foetus has no independent legal personality. Decriminalization and barrier-free access to reproductive health services are considered key prerequisites for the protection of human rights.
Accordingly, the Monitoring Committee under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urgently called for the legalization of abortion and the lifting of the information ban back in 2018. In its combined third and fourth report of 2023, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child also recommended decriminalizing abortion in all circumstances and ensuring access to safe abortion and aftercare services for adolescent girls. The aim is to ensure that their views are always heard and given due consideration in the decision-making process (recommendation no. 33 b). None of these recommendations have yet been addressed.
Decriminalize abortion and provide access to safe abortion and aftercare services for women and girls. Abolish the information ban on abortion.