Slovenian interview with Alex Schadenberg and Theo Boer.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Slovenian rally against euthanasia.

Earlier this year, Slovenia became the first Eastern European country to legalize euthanasia. 

A citizens group formed and collected more than 40,000 signatures to require a referendum to overturn the Slovenian euthanasia law. 

The referendum is happening on Sunday, November 23, 2025.

EPC is working with the citizens group in Slovenia. We have sent articles and video interviews that the Slovenian group is using to support the referendum. The video project was mentioned in the recent letter to our supporters. Some of the footage from the video project was shared with the Slovenian group.

Please consider donating to the EPC video project (Donation Link).

Planet TV in Slovenia recorded an interview with myself and Theo Boer that was played on November 18 and 19. (Link to the interview).

In the interview I explain (54 seconds) how Canada legalized euthanasia based on a Supreme Court of Canada decision (Carter case). Planet TV then shares the data on the growth of euthanasia in Canada (1:20).

I then explain (1:44) how euthanasia, in Canada, expanded to people who are not terminally ill:

A court decision in Québec (Truchon) decided that it was a form of discrimination to not allow someone who is not terminally ill to have euthanasia. It is the same reason why we (Canada) are now discussing euthanasia for children, euthanasia for mental illness, euthanasia for people who have previously requested it, etc,. All these are based on the concept of discrimination.

I continue by commenting (2:15) on medical treatment wait times in Canada:

It might take several months to get the treatment that you need in Canada but you can get euthanasia, often, the next day.

So people for instance who have cancer and who are going through difficult conditions and not receiving treatment for that, often they are saying, well if I can't get treatment then I would rather be dead.

Planet TV also interviewed Theo Boer (2:53) who is an ethicist in the Netherlands. Boer was a member of a euthanasia review committee from 2005 - 2014 who states:

I think it can be proven with absolute certainty that whenever and where ever and however you legalize assistance in dying, which is either euthanasia or assisted suicide, once you legalize it, the numbers will go up and up.

Not one single country in the world where the numbers did not go up.

Boer explains why he resigned from the euthanasia review committee (3:34):

The situation was getting out of hand. There were an increasing number of cases that I could no longer support and these were expecially cases where there were no longer terminal illness cases but it was increasingly people who were tired of living, not people being afraid to die, but people being afraid to live.

Boer explains the expansion of euthanasia in the Netherlands (4:09): 

Since about 2005 we have seen an increase of about 10 - 15% per year steadily so we started with about 2,000 cases for year and now we are up to more than 10,000.

I was then asked for my message to Slovenia (4:34).

My message to Slovenia is don't open the door to this. Because when you open the door to allowing doctors to kill people, because that is actually what you are doing, there is always another door.

Boer concluded his interview by stating (4:45):

It will not only be a liberty for some to have their lives but in the longer run it will lead the whole society to embrace the idea that some people are not worth living and I think that will inevitably happen.

More articles about Slovenia (Articles Link).