Slovenia Legalises Assisted Dying: Between Dignity and Dilemma
📝 By Team Suryavanshi IAS | 🌍 Global Ethics Meets Law and Liberty
What Just Happened?
On Friday, July 19, 2025, the Parliament of Slovenia passed a historic Bill legalising assisted dying — a highly debated ethical and legal issue in global public policy.
🔹 Votes: 50 in favour | 34 against | 3 abstentions
🔹 Condition: Only for lucid, terminally ill patients
🔹 Safeguards:
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Unbearable suffering
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Exhaustion of all treatment options
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Medical oversight
🔹 Referendum Backing: Majority of Slovenians had voted in favour in a recent national referendum.
📚 What is Assisted Dying?
Assisted dying refers to medical support given to a patient (usually terminally ill) to voluntarily end their own life, under strict legal and ethical conditions.
💊 Types:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🔹 Euthanasia | A doctor actively ends the patient’s life (e.g., lethal injection) |
| 🔹 Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) | Doctor provides the means, but patient administers it |
| 🔹 Passive Euthanasia | Withdrawal of life support or food/water (legal in India under conditions) |
🌍 Global Context: Who Else Allows It?
| Country | Legal Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Legal | Since 1942, even for non-citizens (Dignitas clinic) |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Legal | Since 2022 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium & 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Legal | Among the earliest adopters |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Legal | Called MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) |
| 🇮🇳 India | ❌ Active illegal, ✅ Passive allowed (Aruna Shanbaug case, 2018 SC ruling) |
🧠 Why is Slovenia’s Move Significant?
✅ Progressive Ethics
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Recognizes the right to die with dignity.
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Prioritizes patient autonomy and humane suffering relief.
⚖️ Legislative Backing via Democracy
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Referendum-based approval gives legitimacy.
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A Parliamentary majority ensures procedural robustness.
🩺 Medical Oversight
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Only lucid patients, with strict criteria, and medical checks — avoids misuse.
🧭 Suryavanshi Reflection: Is This the Dharma of Modern Law?
India has recognised passive euthanasia, but active aid in dying remains illegal. As nations like Slovenia step forward, it raises ethical and constitutional debates:
🔍 Key Questions for Bharat:
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Can right to die with dignity be included under Article 21 (Right to Life)?
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Are Indian medical and legal safeguards strong enough to prevent misuse?
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Will religious, cultural, and moral frameworks allow such reforms?
🛑 Suryavanshi Caution:
"In a land where Karma and Ahimsa guide life, legalising death must come only after a deep moral consensus."
📚 UPSC Linkage
| GS Paper | Theme | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| GS-2 | Polity & Constitution | Right to Life (Article 21), Legal Reform |
| GS-4 | Ethics | Moral dilemma, autonomy vs. sanctity of life |
| Essay | Society & Values | Euthanasia, human dignity, medical ethics |
📝 Mains Question (GS-4 – Ethics):
Discuss the ethical issues involved in legalising euthanasia. Should India consider a law on assisted dying? Justify your stance.
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