• 53% of Slovenians voted against the law legalizing assisted dying for terminally ill adults.
• The referendum followed a campaign led by conservative groups and the Catholic Church.
• Turnout was 40.9%, allowing the rejection to meet the legally required participation threshold.
• The law, approved by parliament in July, would have permitted aid in dying under specific conditions.
• Ales Primc declared the result a victory for “the culture of life.”

Slovenia’s recent referendum resulted in a rejection of a law intended to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults, with about 53% of voters opposing the measure according to unofficial results from the state election commission. This referendum came after a citizens' initiative prompted by the right-wing politician Ales Primc, which gathered enough signatures to force the vote, despite the law having been passed by parliament earlier in July. The law's defeat means implementation will be suspended for at least one year, leaving the issue unresolved for now, according to Reuters, South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera.

Prior to the referendum, support for the assisted dying law was significant, with polls indicating that around 54% of citizens were in favor. The legislation would have permitted terminally ill patients to seek assisted death if their suffering was unbearable and other treatment options had been exhausted. However, critics led by conservative factions and the Catholic Church mobilized to overturn this progress, emphasizing a "culture of life," according to South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera.

The turnout for the referendum was approximately 40.9%, which allowed the "No" vote to meet the necessary threshold for the law's defeat. With these results, Slovenia's parliament cannot vote on a similar issue for a year, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Advocates for the legislation, including Prime Minister Robert Golob, had urged citizens to support the law as a matter of personal dignity and choice in matters of life and death. Despite this, the Catholic Church's opposition and strong societal divisions ultimately contributed to the law’s rejection. Some advocacy organizations have stated this outcome reflects a deeper resistance to the concept of assisted dying in general, as reinforced by statements from community leaders, according to South China Morning Post, Reuters, and Al Jazeera.