The Island of Jersey has taken a major step towards legalising ‘assisted dying’ after a parliamentary vote.
Around two-thirds of the 49-strong assembly voted in favour of assisted dying (also known as assisted suicide) for adults with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months (or 12 months if they have a neurodegenerative disease). The plan as proposed will require applicants to have made a voluntary and informed decision to die.
Assisted dying is unlikely to be legalised in Jersey before 2027. Draft legislation, expected to take up to 18 months, will then need to be debated and approved before it becomes legal.
Isle of Man
Meanwhile on the Isle of Man, the Assisted Dying Bill 2023 was still being debated in the House of Keys as en went to press.
Bill Leishman, a Baptist pastor in Broadway on the Isle of Man, told the BBC: ‘My big concern for this Bill is for vulnerable people, who don’t have much agency for themselves and the effect that it could have: the dangers of coercion, the dangers of unintended consequences, and the dangers for people who feel suicidal.’
