Assisted dying law step closer as Isle of Man’s end-of-life choice Bill progresses further than any before in British Isles
Comes after landmark Second Reading win for Kim Leadbeater MP’s Westminster assisted dying Bill last month
The choice of safe and compassionate assisted dying in the British Isles is a step closer to reality as the Isle of Man’s end-of-life choice Bill concludes its Clauses stage in the Legislative Council, the island’s upper house, today (Tuesday 17th December 2024), with every clause being carried forward. This follows a victory in the island’s lower house, the House of Keys, when Members (MHKs) voted overwhelmingly in favour (16-8) to progress the Bill through its Second Reading in July.
Today Members (MLCs) voted on the different Clauses of the Bill, including to strengthen protections against potential coercion. It has progressed further than any before in the British Isles and comes after a majority of MPs in Westminster voted to progress Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying Bill at its landmark Second Reading debate in the House of Commons on November 29th. Similar Bills are also progressing in Scotland and Jersey.
Francesca Hall, Campaigns and Engagement Manager at Dignity in Dying, said:
“The choice of compassionate and safe assisted dying is another step closer to becoming an option in the British Isles. The Isle of Man’s Parliament has spent over a year debating how to deliver a law that offers choice to dying citizens, and protections for all Manx people. This is a journey Westminster is now embarking upon, following the historic vote on Kim Leadbeater MP’s Bill last month. Both parliaments should be commended for listening to dying people and recognising the overwhelming public support for assisted dying reform.”
Two in three (66%) people in the Isle of Man support the introduction of assisted dying as an option for terminally ill, mentally competent adults, with more than half (53%) indicating strong support, a survey released in October 2023 found.
The Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill, originally introduced to the House of Keys by Dr Allinson, MHK for Ramsey and a GP, proposes that assisted dying should be available as a choice for terminally ill, mentally competent residents, in addition to existing options for high-quality, person-centred end-of-life care. It is expected to receive its Third Reading in the Legislative Council in January, when MLCs will vote on the amended Bill as a whole. If the Bill passes Third Reading in the Legislative Council, it will return to the House of Keys in the weeks thereafter, when MHKs will vote on amendments brought by MLCs. When all Clauses and amendments are agreed by both houses, it will be sent for Royal Assent and an implementation period will begin, before terminally ill residents are able to access assisted dying, potentially from 2027.
During today’s debate, MLCs passed amendments that would ensure a mandatory referral to a psychiatrist is made if there are doubts about the patient’s mental capacity and ensured there is a requirement for specific training for healthcare professionals to identify coercion, duress or pressure. They also voted to echo a clause in Kim Leadbeater’s Bill that requires that a person be registered as a patient with a GP practice on the island in order to access this choice. MLCs rejected amendments including those that would have reduced the prognosis requirement from 12 months to six months and would have prohibited assisted deaths from taking place at Noble’s Hospital, the island’s main hospital. MLCs also voted to reduce residency requirement from 5 years to not less than one year from diagnosis, to ensure that those who are residents are able to access assisted dying if they become terminally ill.
This comes after a majority of MPs (330) voted to progress Kim Leadbeater MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to Committee Stage last month, with 275 voting against – almost a decade after MPs last voted on the issue. The Bill would enable terminally ill, mentally competent adults, with a prognosis of six months or less, to have the choice of an assisted death, in addition to existing options for high-quality, person-centred end-of-life care.
The Bill will introduce measures to assess eligibility, ensure medical and judicial oversight, and monitor every step of the assisted dying process, with new criminal offences created to protect against any possibility of coercion, providing choice to those that need and want it, and improving protections for all at the end of life.
The Bill will now enter its Committee Stage, where a group of cross-party MPs, whose membership reflects the range of views expressed in the debate and the make-up of the House of Commons, will hear expert evidence, scrutinise the Bill line-by-line and propose amendments. This is followed by the Report Stage, during which MPs will debate any amendments made by the Committee and have the opportunity to propose further amendments. Then, at a later date, MPs will vote again on the Bill at its Third Reading. If MPs support the Bill at this stage it will move to the House of Lords, where it will also undergo comparable stages of debate, scrutiny and amendments by Peers, before returning to the Commons. In-depth polling has shown that three-quarters of the British public believe that the law should change, with majority support in every constituency in Great Britain and across all voting intentions.
Francesca Hall added:
“Across the British Isles there is growing recognition that a complete prohibition on assisted dying is dangerous and untenable, with Bills to improve choice at the end of life also progressing in Scotland and Jersey. In the absence of such laws, dying people suffer despite high-quality end-of-life care, with hundreds every year making the impossible choice to take matters into their own hands, either in secret at home, or in Switzerland at huge expense. Now the debate rightly shifts towards how to ensure our laws are finally fit for how we live and die in the 21st century, offering hope to families right across the British Isles.”
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For more information or interview requests please contact Molly Pike, Senior Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, at molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk or 07855 209809