In July, Slovenia became the latest European country to legalise assisted dying. The new legislation had been introduced by Prime Minister Robert Golob in fulfilment of an election pledge and following an earlier referendum that indicated 55% support for the new measure.
The law has not yet become operational and may face an uphill battle. Opposition to it is lively and there is almost certain to be a second referendum. In such a referendum there would need to be a clear majority against the new law and, crucially, the “no” votes would need to represent at least 20% of the whole electorate – a potentially high bar to reach.
The criteria are the same as in Switzerland. There is no requirement for “death within six months”. There is a need for the independent opinions of two doctors and the patient must be experiencing “unendurable suffering”.
These similarities to the Swiss model have inevitably sparked speculation that Slovenia might also follow Switzerland in making assisted dying available to foreigners. If it does, then its impact on the 700 people per year from around the world who do decide to travel for an AVD could potentially be significant.
Slovenia is close to Switzerland and is a very attractive, civilized little country with a high standard of living. It is also a bit less expensive than Switzerland. Living costs are 20% lower than in the UK and more like 30% lower than in America. Switzerland costs are higher than both. Any new AVD facilities should be expected to be less expensive, too.
Travel, however, might be a problem. Although there are regular flights to the capital Ljubljana from London and Manchester, there are no flights from across the Atlantic. American citizens would therefore face a London stopover or a 2½ hour drive from Venice in Italy.
