The Slovenian National Assembly made it the first country in Eastern Europe to legalize “assisted dying” in a July 18th vote. Days later, the upper chamber, or State Council, blocked the law and asked the Assembly to reconsider. Shortly thereafter, the Assembly re-passed the assisted dying bill.
Key Takeaways:
- Lawmakers in the Slovenian National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) voted 50-34 to legalize assisted suicide in the country on July 18th.
- The law allows a terminally ill person to ingest lethal medication themselves, but it does not allow euthanasia, in which the doctor kills the patient.
- The country’s State Council (the upper house of parliament) blocked the law on July 22nd and asked the Assembly to reconsider. The Assembly, however, chose to re-pass the bill, overriding the upper chamber’s veto.
- Human rights advocates remain committed to fighting the legalization of ‘assisted dying.’
The Details:
Members of Slovenia’s National Assembly voted 50-34 on July 18 to legalize assisted suicide. In order to qualify, a person must receive a diagnosis of an incurable illness and have “unbearable suffering.” The law specifically excludes those suffering from psychiatric disorders.
According to the European Conservative, the assisted suicide vote was a “compromise,” as initially, lawmakers were pushing for euthanasia. In an assisted suicide death, a doctor prescribes lethal drugs which the patient takes himself, but in euthanasia, the doctor is the one administering the deadly cocktail and committing the actual killing.
The vote followed a non-binding referendum held in 2024 in which Slovenian voters signaled their approval of assisted suicide, with 55% of voters in favor and 45% against. Earlier that year prior to the referendum, lawmakers had rejected assisted suicide.
However, just four days after the lower house body’s vote, Slovenia’s State Council vetoed the bill. Sloboden Pecat reported:
A high-ranking state body in Slovenia has vetoed a new law allowing assisted suicide for terminally ill people, saying the law raises serious ethical, legal and philosophical questions that have not yet been sufficiently addressed….
[T]he State Council – a body with representatives from various sectors of society – blocked the law with 20 votes “for” and nine “against” on Tuesday evening, requesting that it be reconsidered in parliament.
Just two days later, the Assembly re-passed the assisted suicide bill, overriding the State Council’s veto.
What We’re Hearing:
According to The Slovenia Times, a pro-life group in the country announced a plan to begin petitioning for another referendum to reverse the law after the first Assembly vote. To put a measure on the ballot, the group will need to first collect 2,500 signatures; they will then have two months to collect 40,000 more signatures in support of the ballot measure.
Human rights activist Nejc Povirk told European Conservative that the nation’s Commission for Medical Ethics opposes “assisted death.” Povirk said at the time of the bill’s original passage by the Assembly (emphases added):
There is also the possibility of a constitutional review, since the Slovenian Constitution states that human life is inviolable, implying that an amendment might be necessary to fully permit this law. Experience from the consultative referendum has shown that increased public discussion tends to increase opposition.
Many people recognize that behind the proclaimed “compassion” for suffering lie elements of ableism and ageism—the idea that some lives are less worthy, or that certain individuals are no longer deserving of help to continue living.
The Slovenian Democratic Party also opposes the bill, warning that the legislation “opens the door to a culture of death, the loss of human dignity, and the minimization of the value of life, in particular of the most vulnerable.”
“Each patient has the right to treatment, pain relief, care, compassion and closeness. The law on assisted dying contradicts that and forces the patient to die by poisoning,” noted activist Aleš Primc.
The Bottom Line:
Assisted suicide is a eugenic act that targets vulnerable members of society, specifically those with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. The “compromise” in this vote reaffirms that the culture is becoming more comfortable with the idea that people with illnesses or disabilities can (or should) end their own lives, while suicide for able-bodied individuals is still viewed as a tragedy to be avoided.
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