Slovenian voters reject newly passed assisted dying law

Slovenian voters have overturned a recently approved law that would have legalized assisted dying for terminally ill adults, triggering an automatic one-year suspension of the measure.

Official results released late Sunday show 53% voted against the legislation and 47% in favor. Turnout reached 40.9%, narrowly surpassing the threshold required for the referendum to be valid.

The vote was prompted by a petition led by the group Voice for the Children and the Family, backed by the Catholic Church and conservative opposition parties. The initiative collected more than 46,000 signatures, exceeding the 40,000 needed to force a binding referendum. Ales Primc, who heads the group, welcomed the outcome as a victory for “solidarity and justice,” accusing the government of pushing reforms “based on death and poisoning.”

Parliament had approved the assisted dying law in July, following a consultative referendum earlier in 2024 that showed majority public support. Prime Minister Robert Golob, who endorsed the legislation, said it aimed to protect human dignity and give terminally ill individuals control over the end of their lives. Supporters argued the law would have provided relief to patients facing unbearable suffering.

The suspended measure would have allowed mentally competent, terminally ill adults to request medical assistance in dying after all treatment options were exhausted. It excluded cases based solely on mental illness and required evaluations by multiple medical professionals.