Do the President of the Republic and her associates not know the Slovenian Constitution?

By: G. B.

The President of the Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, responded to the incident that occurred on the Congress Square, Ljubljana. As it is known, one of the provocateurs who vandalised flags dedicated to unborn children was also a member of the Youth Advisory Council, who was subsequently relieved of her duties, which is commendable.

However, it is still difficult to understand that the President of the Republic, who is a lawyer by education, evidently does not know the Slovenian Constitution, and neither do her advisors—or perhaps they are simply pretending not to know it.

“In addition, we would like to point out that the President’s stance on the right to artificial termination of pregnancy is clear and publicly known. The right to abortion is a constitutional right that the President of the Republic will always steadfastly support. Therefore, the stance of the organisers of the March for Life 2023 is not supported,” is stated in the press release from the Office of the President of the Republic.

This statement is misleading and untrue. The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia does not mention the right to abortion anywhere. If she had in mind Article 55 (freedom to decide on childbirth), this constitutional provision only indirectly provides for the possibility of legal artificial termination of pregnancy. Article 17 of the Constitution stipulates that human life is inviolable, so Article 55 can only be interpreted in connection with other constitutional articles that indirectly relate to the dignity of the individual as a person. Since no constitutional article mentions the right to abortion, it cannot be considered a constitutional category, especially if it is in conflict with other constitutional articles.