(LifeSiteNews) — Prince Albert of Monaco has vetoed pro-abortion legislation that would have made abortion much more widely available in the country.

In an interview given to Monaco-Matin, Prince Albert II, the sovereign of the tiny European city-state, reaffirmed his decision to veto a bill that would enable widespread abortion in the country.

In March 2025, the National Council of Monaco passed a bill in the first reading that sought to legalize voluntary abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and extend the limit in cases of rape to 16 weeks, as well as lower the age of parental consent from 18 to 15 years.

The prince stated that he “understands the sensitivity of this issue” but believes that “the current framework respects who we are, in light of the role that the Catholic religion occupies in our country, while still ensuring safe and more humane support.”

In Monaco, abortion is currently allowed in cases of rape, severe fetal malformations, and if there is a serious danger to the mother’s life. Before these exceptions were introduced in 2009, abortion was banned under any circumstances, with women risking up to three years in prison, and doctors up to five years and loss of their license to practice medicine.

While abortion remains illegal in most cases in Monaco, women who travel to nearby France to terminate the life of their unborn child are not prosecuted.

The Principality of Monaco is a semi-constitutional monarchy that recognizes the Catholic faith as the official state religion. The sovereign holds substantial power in comparison to other modern constitutional monarchies, like in the U.K. He can veto any bill from the National Council to prevent it from becoming law. If the council re-passes the identical text with a two-thirds majority, the prince must promulgate the law. However, this does not usually happen in practice on controversial issues like abortion, since a two-thirds majority is hard to come by in the relatively conservative country. The prince can furthermore dissolve the National Council and force a new election before an override vote could take place.