Jersey set to legalise assisted dying next month following landslide vote
The vote follows the near-unanimous approval of a new end-of-life care law, passed yesterday by 44 votes to two, which was introduced as a direct precursor to assisted dying and has placed a statutory duty on the Health Minister to provide end-of-life care for the final 12 months of a person’s life.
Today’s vote follows two decisive decisions by the States Assembly to back the principle of assisted dying, years of extensive consultation on practice and provision, and a Citizens’ Jury which found overwhelming support for law change. It confirms that Jersey will proceed to legalise assisted dying, subject only to final agreement on detailed safeguards and operation of the law next month.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, welcomed the vote as a clear signal of progress:
“This vote marks a decisive moment for Jersey, bringing compassionate choice at the end of life within touching distance. States Members have now agreed the fundamental principles of a safeguarded assisted dying law, voting to respect the experiences of dying people and the clear views of the Jersey public. As they come to fine-tune this historic law next month, this must remain central.”
The law would apply only to mentally competent adults with a terminal illness who have been resident in Jersey for 12 months and would sit alongside high-quality palliative and end-of-life care, offering an additional option for those who need it. As a result of the assisted dying debate, an additional £3 million per year is now being invested in end-of-life care across hospice, hospital, care home and home settings – improvements that may not have been secured without the assisted dying legislation acting as a catalyst; an experience seen around the world where bills have been introduced.
Public support for reform in Jersey has been clear and sustained. A 2024 poll conducted by Island Global Research found 61% of Jersey adults supported legalising assisted dying, including 51% who were strongly in favour. The Government-commissioned Jersey Assisted Dying Citizens’ Jury in 2021 recommended strongly in its final report that assisted dying should be permitted in Jersey under specified circumstances.
For Jersey resident Lorna Pirozzolo, 49, who has terminal breast cancer, the absence of a legal option has meant facing extreme suffering without reassurance or control. She has spoken about her experience:
“People say you can’t define unbearable pain. You can. Neither your body nor your mind can go on like that. I’m not scared of death itself. It’s the bit before it. What you’re going to be made to go through. It’s not that you want to die – you don’t want to leave your loved ones. But I don’t want to be in excruciating pain and forced to stay in it.
Her experience highlights why many islanders believe choice at the end of life should be available within a clear, compassionate and regulated system.
The vote also holds deep significance for the loved ones of Alain du Chemin, from St Helier, who died aged 50 in 2021 after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. Alain campaigned for assisted dying in Jersey before his death.
His widower, Paul Gazzard, said:
“Alain would have lived better in his final months knowing that he had the choice he wanted here at home, without feeling he had to plan an assisted death overseas at huge expense and in the middle of a pandemic. Alain was a passionate supporter of an assisted dying law for Jersey and I know his campaigning has brought this closer to becoming a reality.”
Assisted dying legislation has already passed in the Isle of Man, awaiting Royal Assent, and proposals are progressing through the parliaments of Westminster and Scotland.
The Jersey Draft Law’s final stage is set to take place on 24 February, where States Members will debate and vote on amendments, refining the draft law to ensure it works safely and effectively in practice. Jersey is firmly on course to deliver a compassionate and carefully regulated assisted dying framework for those who need it most.
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For more information/requests, please email Tom Steen, Media & Campaigns Officer, tom.steen@dignityindying.org.uk 07356135578