Abortion will remain illegal in Monaco, said Prince Albert II, who declined to sign a bill recently that would have made the procedure legal up until the 12th week of pregnancy.
“I understand how sensitive this subject is, the emotion it can bring up,” said Prince Albert II on November 19. He refused to sign the bill, in part, due to "the place that the Catholic religion holds in our country."
Monaco is a sovereign city-state and constitutional monarchy, and is located in the French Riviera. Its population of roughly 38,000 people is approximately 90% Catholic, and Catholicism is the official state religion.
In May, the country's national council voted overwhelmingly to legalize abortion throughout the first trimester of a pregnancy, lower the age a teenager can get an abortion without parental consent, and to expand the limit on abortion in cases of sexual assault.
The fate of the bill, however, rested in Prince Albert II's hands.
Abortion in Monaco
Abortion in Monaco is legal in very limited circumstances, namely to protect the life of the mother, instances of "severe fetal deformity," and in cases of pregnancy resulting from sexual assault. Until 2009, it was entirely illegal.
In 2019, the government moved to decriminalize the act. Previously, woman in Monaco who had abortions could face up to three years in prison. The abortion providers faced up to five years in prison.
The limited legality of abortion coupled with the decriminalization law, said Prince Albert II, "respects who we are."
Monegasque clergy were vocally against an attempt to further legalize abortion.
Legalization abortion "would mean that the Principality no longer recognizes itself in the social values of Catholicism," said Archbishop Dominique Marie David of Monaco back in March when the bill was first considered.
"Without Catholicism, the Principality no longer possesses its full DNA," he said.
