Slovenia is voting on whether to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill adults, following changes made by other European countries.
The small European Union country’s parliament passed a euthanasia bill in July, but a citizen initiative led by right-wing politician Ales Primuk forced a referendum on Sunday.
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A bill will be rejected if at least 20% of participating voters oppose it. The number of voters in Slovenia is 1.69 million.
Supporters of the bill argued it would alleviate unnecessary suffering. Those who oppose this society should take care of the sick, not help them die.
Several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, already allow terminally ill patients to receive medical assistance to end their lives.
What are the Slovenians proposing?
Under the pending law, which was to take effect this year, patients who are conscious but terminally ill would have the right to die if their suffering becomes unbearable and all other treatments have been exhausted.
The bill is similar to the assisted dying bill passed by the UK parliament in June. The UK bill would allow assisted suicide, approval from two doctors, judicial supervision and self-administration of drugs for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live.
Slovenian law requires approval from two doctors, but also requires a cooling period and self-administration.
According to a poll based on 700 responses published this week by the daily newspaper Dnevnik, about 54% of people support legalizing assisted dying, 31% oppose and 15% are undecided. In June 2024, 55% supported the law.
What are our supporters saying?
Prime Minister Robert Golob called on people to support the law “so that each of us can decide for ourselves how and with what dignity we will end our lives.”
Marijan Janzekovic, 86, who lives in Sveti Tomaz, a town near the capital Ljubljana, also supports the bill.
His wife, Alenka Klin-Janzeković, suffered from diabetes-related illnesses until her death at a suicide clinic in Switzerland in 2023.
“She was in a wheelchair… and in so much pain that it broke my heart just looking at her,” he told Reuters.
What will the other person think?
Voices for Children and Families, a major political group opposed to the law, accused the government of using the law to “poison” the sick and elderly.
Opponents argued that the law was inhumane and violated the Slovenian constitution, which declares human life inalienable.
Slovenian Catholic Archbishop Stanislav Zore said the country should focus on palliative care instead.
“Let’s take care of the sick and dying, but let’s not encourage them to commit suicide,” he said. The Catholic Church is against euthanasia.
What other countries practice assisted dying?
Assisted dying is already allowed in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, some US states, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and some states in the United States, assisted dying laws are generally structured around medical assistance. These jurisdictions typically require that the patient has a terminal illness, is mentally competent, and is diagnosed by two independent physicians.
In many of these countries, patients must administer lethal drugs themselves, rather than having doctors administer them directly. These regimes prioritize patient autonomy and strict procedural safeguards, such as waiting periods.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal have a liberal approach to assisted dying. Active euthanasia and medical treatment are legal under conditions of intolerable suffering, even if the patient is not terminally ill.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, only assisted suicide, as opposed to active euthanasia, is legally permissible. Switzerland is an anomaly in that it does not have a dedicated regulatory system for euthanasia, meaning that non-residents can access euthanasia services through organizations.
Which countries are currently debating assisted dying laws?
In May, the French National Assembly approved a “right to die” bill. The bill would allow adults aged 18 and over who are citizens or residents and suffer from an incurable disease or “intolerable” physical or mental pain to apply for lethal drugs.
Under the bill, medical teams must assess a patient’s condition before a mandatory deliberation period before prescribing lethal substances. If a patient is physically unable to self-administer, a doctor or nurse may assist.
The proposal excludes people with severe mental illnesses and neurodegenerative disorders such as advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The bill now goes to the Senate and must return to Parliament for a second reading before becoming law.
Elsewhere, the UK House of Commons voted to legalize assisted dying in June. The House of Commons narrowly voted in favor of the End of Life Adults (End of Life) Bill, marking a major step towards legalizing assisted dying in England and Wales.
The bill would allow mentally competent adults with less than six months to live to request medical assistance to end their own life, subject to evaluation by a committee that includes two doctors, a psychiatrist, a lawyer, and a social worker.
This law is not yet a law. The bill still needs to pass the House of Lords, where it will be further scrutinized and potentially amended. If passed into law, it could take effect in 2029.
