How Slovenians won a referendum that rejected euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Slovenian people voted in a referendum on November 23, 2025 to overturn the euthanasia bill that was passed in the Slovenian legislature in July 2025.  More than 53% of the voters rejected the euthanasia law.

This was a great victory, that was accomplished by a small group of committed citizens who stuck to their talking points. They achieved this victory for people who are sick, people with disabilities and pensioners against all odds, as they were up against the government and a well funded death lobby.

Why did Slovenians reject the govenrment euthanasia law? 

Aleš Primc, the organizer of the referendum explains:

• Slovenian people decided that they are valued and respected.
• Patients, disabled people and pensioners need treatment, medication and pain relief, and the people rejecting poisoning, or forcing them to poison themselves.
• Doctors and healthcare personnel decided to respect medical ethics and the Hippocratic Oath, which stipulates that a doctor treats and does not kill, nor does he/she participate in poisoning people.

They were up against a massive well funded opposition. As Aleš stated:

The poisoning of patients, disabled people and pensioners was supported by all government parties and the largest media. However, most people in Slovenia nevertheless retained their common sense and made decisions in accordance with their conscience.

They were faced with constant lies. Aleš explained:

The poisoning lobby has been lying, deceiving and scaring people all the time. Our task was to expose these lies and prove this with references to the law. Then they twisted their words and wanted to change the subject.

Leaders also made telling statements. Aleš wrote:

The Prime Minister stated that "people who have living, immobile parents are unlucky". Former Minister of Health Keber, stated that a patient towards the end of life is not a person, but only organs.

As Aleš stated having an elderly or disabled relative is not unlucky and towards the end of life a person is not "only organs.|

The take-away from the Slovenina referndum is that people innately oppose killing, but we must be willing to state what euthanasia actually is. The Slovenian team built their campaign on a few key talking points and stuck to them. Hiding behind nice language or presenting the issue in a way that seems more socially acceptable avoids the reality that euthanasia and assisted suicide are about killing people. 

Slovenians rejected the killing of people.

More articles on Slovenia

• Great news: Slovenia rejected euthanasia law with more than 53% support for the referendum (Link).
• Slovenian interview with Alex Schadenberg and Theo Boer (Link). 
• Bad news in Slovenia and Uruguay (Link). 
• Has Slovenia legalized assisted suicide (Link). 
• Slovenia debates assisted suicide. Doctors and medical groups oppose the bill (Link).