Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 09/06/2025; Author: Eva Gračanin
The proposed legislation defines assisted dying as a medical procedure in which a patient receives a lethal dose of drugs at their own request and administers the drugs themself.
New Slovenia (NSi) deputy Iva Dimic claimed during a parliamentary debate on 27 May that the proposed Assisted Dying Bill would impose the delivery of such assistance “to doctors and medical staff, who will in effect become executioners”. The claim came as part of the National Assembly’s first reading of the bill, which was approved for further discussion with 42 votes in favour and 26 against.
Under the proposed bill, assistance in voluntary dying would be available to adult Slovenian citizens with permanent residence in Slovenia and compulsory health insurance. To qualify for the procedure, an individual must suffer from an incurable medical condition and be capable of making a free and informed decision to end their life. Persons whose suffering is caused solely by mental illness would not be eligible.
The bill defines assisted dying as a medical procedure through which a patient, upon their request, self-administers a substance to intentionally end their life. The substance may be taken orally by the patient or introduced into the body “using a device which the patient must operate independently”.
A doctor on an assisted dying commission is required to prescribe the necessary substance and any supportive medication electronically at least 48 hours before the procedure. The attending or substitute doctor, or another authorized healthcare professional, must collect the medication from a designated pharmacy and deliver it to the site where the procedure is to take place. This may be the patient’s home or another appropriate location, such as a hospital. If the patient is unable to actively participate in the procedure at the designated time, the process is halted.
The proposed legislation also addresses the involvement of healthcare personnel and explicitly provides for conscientious objection, allowing medical workers to “decline participation if it conflicts with their core personal beliefs or conscience”.
In response to our findings, the NSi’s public relations office stated that their MPs had based their remarks primarily on the views of the National Medical Ethics Commission, which, they said, has warned that assisted suicide carries a high ethical risk. They cited the commission’s opinion published on 30 November on the SI21 website which described the role of doctors and medical staff as ethically sensitive and stated that “assisted suicide cannot be performed without medical personnel”.
For Razkrinkavanje.si, the Medical Ethics Commission clarified that, in their view, the bill includes the involvement of medical professionals in all steps of the process. “Suicide without the presence of doctors is only possible if there are no complications, which is not guaranteed,” they explained, which is why the presence of physicians or specially trained staff is always necessary.
The claim that the bill would require doctors and healthcare personnel to perform assisted dying and thereby “become executioners” is manipulative. According to the proposal, the patient would self-administer the substance, while medical personnel would only prescribe and deliver it to the patient. Although NSi cited the Medical Ethics Commission’s concerns, the commission clarified for Razkrinkavanje.si that healthcare workers must be present throughout the procedure. The bill however determines that they may refuse to participate.