CEDAW/C/LIE/CO/5

Liechtenstein (CEDAW 03-12-2018)

The Committee considered the fifth periodic report of Liechtenstein (CEDAW/C/LIE/5) at its 1606th and 1607th meetings (see CEDAW/C/SR.1606 and CEDAW/C/SR.1607), held on 5 July 2018.

Concluding observations

D. Principal areas of concern and recommendations

Health

35. The Committee welcomes the State party’s revision of the Criminal Code pertaining to the decriminalization of abortion. It remains concerned, however, about the restrictive circumstances in which abortion is legal under the law of the State party, in particular with regard to the criminalization of abortion in cases of fetal impairment. The Committee is also concerned about the persistence of early pregnancies and the limited access to information on contraceptives available in the State party. The Committee is further concerned about medically irreversible sex-reassignment surgery being performed on intersex persons from Liechtenstein in neighbouring countries at the State party’s request, and about the growing trend of young women developing an addiction to alcohol, tobacco and/or cannabis.
36. The State party should:                                        

(a) Harmonize articles 96 to 98 (a) of the Criminal Code with a view to legalizing abortion both for the pregnant woman who undergoes the procedure and the health-care providers who perform it, including in the case of rape, incest, risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman, or severe impairment of the fetus, and decriminalizing it in all other cases;                                        

(b) Step up efforts to prevent early pregnancies and ensure that access to information on contraceptives is readily available to young women and girls;                                        

(c) Specifically prohibit non-consensual sex-reassignment surgery on intersex persons and develop and implement a rights-based health-care protocol for intersex children that requires their informed consent about the performance of medically irreversible sex-reassignment surgery;                                 

(d) Collect data and provide information on the use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among women and girls in the State party in its next periodic report.