Slovenians have voted against a law that would have allowed terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical assistance, marking a significant development in the country’s ongoing debate over assisted dying legislation. The preliminary results released on Sunday show that 53 percent of eligible voters opposed the law, which had previously been approved by Slovenia’s parliament in July.

Background: Slovenia’s Assisted Dying Law

The rejected legislation aimed to grant terminally ill patients the right to assisted dying if their suffering was unbearable and all treatment options had been exhausted. It also extended this right to patients whose medical treatment offered no reasonable prospect of recovery or improvement. However, the law did not cover ending life for mental health conditions alone.

Slovenia had initially supported the measure in a 2024 referendum, but opponents, backed by the Catholic Church and the conservative parliamentary opposition, gathered sufficient signatures to force a repeat vote. Civil groups argued that the law contradicted moral and ethical principles, gathering more than 40,000 signatures required to trigger the new referendum.

Campaign and Public Reaction

Ales Primc, head of Voice for the Children and the Family, the NGO organizing the “no” campaign, praised the results:

“We are witnessing a miracle. The culture of life has defeated the cult of death.”

Prime Minister Robert Golob, however, had urged voters to support the law, emphasizing the importance of allowing personal choice and dignity at the end of life.

The Catholic Church condemned the legislation, stating that assisted dying “contradicts the foundations of the Gospel, natural law, and human dignity.”

Referendum Results and Turnout

Approximately 1.7 million Slovenians were eligible to vote, with turnout reaching 40.9 percent, just above the threshold needed for the results to be valid. While 55 percent of voters supported assisted dying in June 2024, this time the public sentiment shifted, rejecting the law and suspending its implementation for at least one year.

Context: Assisted Dying in Europe

Slovenia is part of a growing debate across Europe about patients’ rights to die with dignity. Countries such as Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland legally allow terminally ill individuals to receive medical assistance in ending their lives. In contrast, many other European nations still consider assisted dying a criminal act, even in cases of severe suffering.

Recently, France’s lower house of parliament approved a right-to-die bill in its first reading, and the United Kingdom is currently debating similar legislation. These developments highlight the continuing tension between ethical, religious, and human rights considerations in European policymaking.

Implications of Slovenia’s Decision

The rejection of the assisted dying law underscores the polarized views on end-of-life choices within Slovenia. For the time being, terminally ill patients will not have the legal option of assisted dying, and the debate is expected to continue as medical ethics, human rights, and religious values intersect.

Experts anticipate that Slovenia may revisit the issue in the coming years, especially as other European countries expand legal frameworks for assisted suicide and end-of-life care rights.