Slovenians took to the streets this Sunday (23) to vote in a referendum on the entry into force or annulment of the law on assisted suicide approved by Parliament in July.
The application of the new norm had been suspended after a campaign by Slovenian conservative sectors, together with the Catholic Church.
The consultation, called by Parliament on the 17th, comes after a conservative campaign presented more than 46 thousand signatures — exceeding the 40 thousand required.
The law will be repealed if a majority of voters oppose it, but only if participation exceeds 20%.
The rule approved in July, the first of its kind in an Eastern European country, establishes that only mentally capable adults affected by unbearable suffering due to a terminal or very serious illness, with no prospect of improvement, will be able to request assistance in dying.
If the request is approved and after medical and psychological controls, the patient must ingest or inject the legal substance himself to end his own life.
The rule establishes that local health agents — from nurses and doctors to pharmacists — may choose not to participate.
In June, a consultative referendum was held in which 55% of voters supported the regulation of assisted suicide. Parliament subsequently approved the law in July with 50 votes in favor, 34 against and three abstentions.
The National Council, the upper house, which functions as a control body, applied a suspensive veto, after which signatures began to be collected to call the binding referendum.
Polls predict that citizens will choose to maintain the law.
Among those who defend it is the Prime Minister, liberal Robert Golob, who, when voting in advance, recalled his father’s “unbearable agony” due to pancreatic cancer, and asked for support for the rule to prevent others from going through a similar situation.
Opposition to the law, led by conservative sectors, the Catholic Church and the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), maintains that the text violates the protection of life provided for in the Constitution.
The first vote estimates will be released after the polls close at 7pm (local time, 3pm Brasília), while the official results may only be released in a few days.
