Liechtenstein abortion initiative gets 4,970 signatures

A citizens' initiative to legalise abortion in Liechtenstein has submitted 4,970 signatures, nearly five times the number needed to send the proposal for parliamentary review or a possible referendum.

The committee behind the initiative said it had gathered just under 5,000 signatures and submitted 4,970 last Friday. It said the total was far above the legal minimum of 1,000 signatures.

Abortion is currently illegal in Liechtenstein except in specific circumstances, including when the mother's life is at risk or when the pregnancy resulted from rape. Anyone carrying out an abortion outside the exceptions can face up to three years in prison, while a woman undergoing the procedure can face up to one year in prison.

The initiative, led by Tatjana As'Ad of the small left-wing Free List party, calls for abortion to be legal during the first three months of pregnancy.

After the authorities verify the signatures, the 25-seat Landtag parliament is due to review the initiative in September. If the Landtag rejects it, the measure will go to a public vote, which the committee said could take place in autumn.

Liechtenstein, a German-speaking principality between Switzerland and Austria, has a population of about 41,000, including around 35 percent permanent foreign residents. Roman Catholicism is the state religion.

In the last vote on legalising abortion in 2011, 52 percent of voters rejected the proposal. The government and parliament opposed the measure at the time, and Hereditary Prince Alois said he would have vetoed it. He has again indicated opposition to the new initiative.