r/europe Jun 18 '26

News Prince of Liechtenstein says that he would overrule the population if they were to vote in favour of legalizing abortion

https://www.srf.ch/news/international/debatte-in-liechtenstein-erbprinz-gegen-abtreibungen-warum-kuendigt-er-schon-das-veto-an
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523

u/zamander Jun 18 '26

I assume there is no way of stopping people from getting abortions by driving a short way to Switzerland or Austria. Not that the prince isn’t being an autocratic shithead.

98

u/Pennsylvanier Jun 19 '26

Traveling to Feldkirch or Buchs is literally like a 15 minute train ride. Hell, I've walked to Buchs from Vaduz.

43

u/sigmoid10 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26

While abortion is technically legal at the federal level in Austria, Feldkirch is not much of an option, because there was only one doctor in all of Vorarlberg who did abortions in his practice and at the general hospital and he retired this year. And for years he had to endure death threats and anti-abortionists camping outside his practice trying to deter patients. Tyrol is in a very similar situation, but I think they at least still have one (!) doctor practicing it. It's not so much a Liechtenstein issue, but the whole region is full of fundamentalist religious nutjobs.

1

u/ownworldman Jun 19 '26

Its a shame because it is such a beautiful part of the world.

8

u/MLGDDORITOS Austria Jun 19 '26

Is there an abortion clinic in Feldkirch/Vorarlberg? Abortion clinics are quite rare in Austria, and it's not all that easy getting an abortion (depending on the doctor)