Slovenia referendum: Where is assisted dying legal?

After other European nations have made the change, Slovakia is currently deciding whether to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill adults.

A citizen initiative led by right-wing politician Ales Primc forced the referendum on Sunday, despite the small European Union parliament’s passage of an euthanasia bill in July.

If at least 20% of electors cast ballots in favor of the bill, it will be rejected. 1.69 million people elect Slovakia.

The bill’s supporters claim it will lessen the pain that is unnecessary. The sick should be taken care of by those opposed to that society rather than assisted dying.

Many European nations, including Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, already permit terminally ill people to receive medical care to end their lives.

What do Slovens propose?

lucid but terminally ill patients would have had the right to die under the disputed law, which was scheduled to go into effect this year if their suffering had become intolerable and all other treatment options had been exhausted.

The assisted dying bill was approved by the British Parliament in June. The bill in Britain permits the medication’s self-administration, judicial review, and the consent of two doctors for terminally ill adults who have less than six months to live.

Slovenia’s law would call for the medication’s self-administration, cooling-off periods, and approval of two doctors.

According to a poll conducted by the Dnevnik daily this week and based on 700 responses, about 54% of citizens support the legalization of assisted dying, while almost 31% oppose it, and 15% are undecided. 55% of people in support of the law in June 2024.

What are the opinions of the supporters?

According to Prime Minister Robert Golob, “everyone has the right to choose how and with dignity we will end our lives,” he urged people to support the law.

Marijan Janzekovic, an 86-year-old resident of the town of Sveti Tomaz near Ljubljana, also supports the bill.

Before she ended her life at a suicide clinic in Switzerland in 2023, his wife, Alenka Curin-Janzekovic, was suffering from diabetes-related illnesses.

He told the Reuters news agency, “She was in a wheelchair and in such pain that watching her made my heart hurt.”

What are opponents’ opinions?

The government is accused of using the law to “poison” the elderly and the sick, according to Voice for the Children and the Family, the main political group that opposes it.

The law, according to opponents, is cruel and violates Slovenia’s Constitution, which guarantees the rule of human life.

Stanislav Zore, the state’s Catholic archbishop in Slovenia, said palliative care should be the focus instead.

He urged people to take care of the sick and dying but not commit suicide. Euthanasia is not favored by the Catholic Church.

What other nations offer assisted dying?

In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, several states in the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland, assisted dying is already permitted.

In most US states, assisted dying laws are typically centered on medical care, including those in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and a few other states. These countries typically require that patients have a two-hour evaluation by two independent doctors and be terminally ill.

Instead of having a doctor prescribe lethal medication directly, the patient is required to self-administer it in many of these nations. These régimes place patient autonomy and strict procedural safeguards, such as waiting periods, above all else.

The practice of assisted dying is permissible in Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Even if the patient is not terminally ill, it is permissible to perform euthanasia or other doctor-administered medical care in specific circumstances of intolerable suffering.

Only assisted suicide is permitted in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as opposed to active euthanasia, is permitted. Switzerland is an exception because there is no established euthanasia regulatory framework, which entitles non-residents to access the service through organizations.

Which other nations are currently weighing laws governing assisted dying?

A “right-to-die” bill was approved by the French National Assembly in May. Adults over the age of 18 who are citizens or residents and suffer from “incompressible” physical or psychological conditions and “intolerable” illnesses could ask for lethal medication.

Before a a , reflection period , must be conducted before the prescription of a lethal substance, according to the bill, a , medical team  A doctor or nurse may be able to assist if the patient is physically unable to self-administrate.

People with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative conditions, such as advanced Alzheimer’s disease, are exempt from the proposal. Before it can become law, the bill must now pass the Senate and go back to the National Assembly for a second reading.

In another country, the lower house in the country approved the legalization of assisted dying. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a significant step toward legalizing assisted dying in England and Wales, was narrowly approved by the House of Commons.

The bill would allow mentally ill adults who have less than six months to live to request medical care to end their lives. The results would be determined by two doctors and a panel that included a psychiatrist, a lawyer, and a social worker.

Source: Aljazeera