By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
The outcome of the recent referendum on the law on assistance in voluntary ending of life was difficult to predict. Almost all polls indicated the law would be approved, but it was possible to sense that something similar would happen as with the referendum on privileged pensions, when the majority voted against despite polls predicting support. And yes, the polls once again “missed the mark.”
It was, however, easy to predict what would happen if the ruling left lost this referendum. As usual in such cases, they would launch a wave of hysteria in searching for and blaming culprits for the result. At the same time, media sympathetic to them would try everything to neutralise the effects of the referendum defeat.
These predictions came true to the letter. Leftist politicians and their supporters completely lost their nerves. True, no one takes defeat lightly. Even the right has not exactly “jumped for joy” at its many electoral losses. But it is clear that the left handles such failures worse. They are convinced of their moral and intellectual superiority. They are progressive, cosmopolitan, and humanitarian, in contrast to the backward, narrow‑minded, provincial right. Therefore, when the people do not follow their ideas, they practically go mad.
Thus, upon the announcement of the referendum results, angry supporters of the law – assisted by the dominant media – poured out comments, venting their rage at everyone they deemed responsible for the rejection. They complained that the campaign was unfair – of course not on their side, but on the opposing one. That opponents misled, spread falsehoods, and sowed fear among the people. They accused doctors of exploiting the trust they enjoy among citizens to support a political agenda. Above all, they attacked the Catholic Church, claiming that by calling on believers to vote against the law, it interfered in the political process – without even registering its participation in the campaign.
This is the “same old” anti‑church and anti‑Catholic stance characteristic of the Slovenian left. Much of it sees Christianity, and especially its Catholic form, as something disturbing, not belonging in a “progressive” society. The main target of resistance is the Church as an institution supporting this religion. Some would like to push it as far as possible to the margins of society. The claim that the Catholic Church, by publicly opposing the law and telling believers to reject it, violated the principle of separation of church and state is a typical expression of the communist view of this issue. In the previous regime, the Church and believers were tolerated only if they stayed away from public life. But such an attitude means segregation, which has no place in a democratic system. Catholics – and all other believers – are citizens with all the rights that belong to them. They can freely express their views in the public sphere and take positions on various social issues. Religious communities can do so as well (it should be emphasised that all major religious communities in Slovenia opposed the law). If every obscure leftist association has this right, why should not those who represent the faithful?
It is also great hypocrisy to claim that opponents of the law built their campaign on fearmongering. True, the campaign was quite tense. And the referendum winners often spoke in strongly ideological terms, not avoiding powerful words (killing, poisoning), even exaggeration. But the left practically builds every pre‑election campaign on spreading fear of Janez Janša, claiming that if he wins, some kind of reign of terror will ensue. Well, now they have been defeated with their own weapon.
