Slovenia rejects assisted dying law in referendum News
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Slovenia rejects assisted dying law in referendum

Slovenians on Sunday voted in a referendum against a new law legalizing euthanasia, following mounting pressure from critics of the law. Around 53 percent of voters rejected the law, while 47 percent voted in favour. This result means the parliament cannot vote again on a bill addressing the same issue within the next 12 months.  

Under the law, terminally ill patients or those experiencing severe pain could take lethal medication following a consultation and with permission from two doctors. The law does not apply to people with mental illness.  

The law provides for the possibility of assisted suicide for patients with the capacity to consent, suffering from an incurable disease or other serious and permanent health impairment. This refers to patients whose suffering is deemed unbearable, with no effective treatment and reasonable hope of recovery or improvement in their health.

Public opinion on assisted dying in Slovenia centers on respecting individual autonomy versus the sanctity of life. Slovenia’s parliament approved the law in July, allowing assisted dying following a 2024 referendum in favor of it. However, civil groups and the Catholic Church rejected the law, calling for a second referendum with the support of 46,000 people.

The Voice for Children and Families, a right-wing Slovenian political party and NGO that organized the no vote campaign, said the law breached Article 17 of Slovenia’s Constitution, which declares human life inviolable, and the government should work to provide better palliative care instead. On the other hand, those who support assisted dying view the bill as respecting human dignity and allowing people to decide on their own lives.  

European countries in recent years have shifted towards legalizing assisted dying. In October 2024, the Irish Parliament indicated support for assisted dying legislation. Similarly, in May 2025, France’s National Assembly voted in favour of adopting a bill providing a right to assisted dying for patients with advanced terminal illness. In June 2025, the UK’s House of Commons narrowly passed an assisted dying bill, which would allow assisted suicide for terminally ill adults who have less than six months to live, with the approval of two doctors, judicial oversight, and self-administration of the medication. 

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