Slovenia's Parliament Fools Allowing Terminally Ill to End Their Lives
A referendum on assisted dying for terminally ill adults has resulted in the rejection of a law that would have allowed patients to end their lives if they were suffering unbearably. Slovenians voted against the legislation, with 53% of eligible voters rejecting it, according to preliminary results released by election authorities.
The vote was called after a civil group, supported by the Catholic Church and conservative opposition parties, gathered over 40,000 signatures needed to trigger another referendum. The head of the NGO behind the campaign hailed the result as "a miracle" saying "solidarity and justice have won."
Under the law that was rejected, terminally ill patients would have had the right to aid in dying if their suffering was unbearable and all treatment options had been exhausted. However, it excluded mental illness cases.
The rejection of the law means its implementation will be suspended for at least a year, after Slovenia's parliament had approved it in July last year.
European countries like Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland have already allowed terminally ill people to end their lives with medical help. The Catholic Church has been vocal against such legislation saying "allowing assisted dying contradicts the foundations of the Gospel, natural law and human dignity".
In recent times other European countries like France are also taking steps in allowing terminally ill patients to receive right-to-die aid.
For now, Slovenia will remain one of few countries that do not allow the right-to-die legislation.
A referendum on assisted dying for terminally ill adults has resulted in the rejection of a law that would have allowed patients to end their lives if they were suffering unbearably. Slovenians voted against the legislation, with 53% of eligible voters rejecting it, according to preliminary results released by election authorities.
The vote was called after a civil group, supported by the Catholic Church and conservative opposition parties, gathered over 40,000 signatures needed to trigger another referendum. The head of the NGO behind the campaign hailed the result as "a miracle" saying "solidarity and justice have won."
Under the law that was rejected, terminally ill patients would have had the right to aid in dying if their suffering was unbearable and all treatment options had been exhausted. However, it excluded mental illness cases.
The rejection of the law means its implementation will be suspended for at least a year, after Slovenia's parliament had approved it in July last year.
European countries like Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland have already allowed terminally ill people to end their lives with medical help. The Catholic Church has been vocal against such legislation saying "allowing assisted dying contradicts the foundations of the Gospel, natural law and human dignity".
In recent times other European countries like France are also taking steps in allowing terminally ill patients to receive right-to-die aid.
For now, Slovenia will remain one of few countries that do not allow the right-to-die legislation.
its literally heartbreaking for all those people suffering from terminal illnesses who feel like they have no other option but to suffer 
I mean what is the point of living if you're just gonna be in pain and discomfort the whole time? 
it's not fair at all that some countries are moving forward with this law while slovenia stays stuck in the dark ages 
and what does "natural law" even mean? is it just a fancy way of saying "we can do whatever we want as long as it doesn't go against our church"? 
I mean I get that the founding fathers might have had good intentions but sometimes you gotta look at the bigger picture and think about what's best for the people not just some ancient text 
maybe slovenia will change their minds in a year or two and join the 21st century 
but for now it's just frustrating to see them stuck in this limbo 
! I thought for sure Slovenians would've voted in favor of making it easier for those who are suffering to end their lives. But I guess you can't rush these things and the Catholic Church's influence is still pretty strong 
. It's like they're trying to say life starts at conception, but what about all those people struggling with terminal illnesses? It's just so frustrating 
.
. 53% of Slovenians are basically telling people who are literally dying of unbearable pain to suffer through it 
. What's wrong with these people? Don't they care that someone's grandma or dad is stuck in a wheelchair, or a bed, or even just on the floor because their meds aren't working 
. What's next? Are they gonna say, "Hey, let's just leave all our sick people to die in the street too"? Because that's exactly what's going on here 
. Do they get to say, "No, no, no, my suffering must be endured"? It's like, come on Slovenia, are you seriously that scared of the unknown? Or do you just not want to deal with all the drama and paperwork that comes with actually helping people 
.
. Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland... they're like, "Hey, let's fix this". And what do we get from Slovenia? A big fat "no thanks" 
. Can't they just join the 21st century for once?!
. I think it's kinda weird how some people are against assisted dying just because of their faith. Like, isn't compassion and mercy a bigger part of Christianity than condemning ppl to suffer? 
Also, Slovenia's parliament is kinda split on it. Some are for it, some against. Guess they just need more time to think about it... or something 
i wish slovenia would reconsider its decision, but i guess we'll just have to keep pushing 4 change 
... maybe Slovenia can re-examine its law and find a way to make it more compassionate while still respecting everyone's values. After all, it's not like they're banning people from dying altogether... just making sure that if someone does want to end their life, they have the support they need 
. Can we talk about this some more? 
. I think it's so brave for the civil group and their supporters to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means going against the majority. I've read about this law before and thought it was a great idea – why shouldn't people have control over their own bodies? 
. And yeah, I get that there are opposing views, but can't we find a middle ground? Like, maybe they could've included mental illness cases in the law initially? 
. Maybe it'll be revisited down the line... fingers crossed 
It's not like it's gonna affect anyone else's life. Plus, some of these countries have been doing it for years without any major issues 
. It's still gonna be super tricky for people who are literally dying in agony. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how they resolve this in the next year or so...
. i mean, it's not like they're forcing anyone to make a choice or anything. and what's the big deal about it? people are suffering, and if that person wants to go out with dignity, who can blame them? 
.