Victory for compassion as Jersey becomes first jurisdiction in UK and Crown Dependencies to legalise assisted dying

Responding to the Assisted Dying (Jersey) Law 2026 receiving Royal Assent, announced today Thursday 9 July 2026, Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:

“Today will be an enormous relief to dying people and families across Jersey. History has been made, and it is a testament to humble, unwavering tenacity of terminally ill and bereaved people whose calls for change became impossible to ignore, and to the States Assembly, who listened. After years of careful debate, consultation and scrutiny, compassion has cleared its final constitutional hurdle. 

“This law will bring long-overdue choice, protection and peace of mind, raising the bar for everyone facing the end of their lives, no matter what they choose.  It means terminally ill people in Jersey will know that, if their dying becomes unbearable, they will not be abandoned to pain, fear or desperate alternatives. .

“Jersey has shown that safe, compassionate assisted dying laws can be debated responsibly and delivered. The rest of the UK and Crown Dependencies should take confidence from that, and follow their lead. This is about life and death, but it’s also about democracy – that affects us all.”

Lorna Pirozzolo of Jersey, who is living with incurable breast cancer, said:

“For people like me, this is deeply personal. It is about the terror of knowing how bad things might get, and the relief of knowing there could be a safe, legal option if suffering becomes too much.

“I am overjoyed for the people of Jersey, because today they have been heard. Their politicians trusted dying people, listened to families, and chose compassion.

“No one should have to face their final months feeling trapped in their own body, or forced to consider travelling abroad to die. Jersey has given dying people something priceless: peace of mind.”

Eligibility note: Jersey’s law applies to adults aged 18 or over who have capacity, make a voluntary, clear, settled and informed decision, have a physical condition expected to cause death within six months – or 12 months for a neurodegenerative condition – and have been ordinarily resident in Jersey for the 12 months before making their first formal request. The law has received Royal Assent and will come into force once registered by Jersey’s Royal Court, with implementation expected after the required set-up period. 

The Isle of Man is expected to receive Royal Assent soon, and in Westminster the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will receive its Second Reading again on 11 September, following deliberate obstruction in the House of Lords last parliamentary session.

ENDS

For more information/requests please contact Georgina O’Reilly, Media and Campaigns Manager at georgina.oreilly@dignityindying.org.uk or 07768438258.