IN a significant step towards legalising assisted dying, Dr Alex Allinson’s Assisted Dying Bill has successfully passed the third reading in the House of Keys, the lower house of Tynwald, the Isle of Man’s Parliament.
Members of the House of Keys voted 16 in favour, eight against. The law will now move to the Parliament’s upper chamber, the Legislative Council. Humanists UK has welcomed the move, while expressing disappointment over the exclusion of those suffering from incurable non-terminal conditions from the Bill. If passed, the Bill could receive Royal Assent in 2025, with the law potentially coming into effect by 2027.
During the clause stage, opponents of the Bill attempted to postpone the debate until November, a motion which was defeated by 14 votes to nine. Additionally, a last-minute amendment proposing a referendum on assisted dying was narrowly rejected by 12 votes to 11. Members of the House of Keys (MHKs) said that this suggestion of a referendum was insincere, as it could have been proposed earlier in the legislative process.
One MHK attempted to restrict the Bill to people who only have three months left to live or less. Other efforts to significantly restrict access to assisted dying and to exclude healthcare providers from the decision-making process were defeated.
The Bill, initially published in May, has undergone several amendments during the parliamentary process. Key changes include:
- Extending the eligibility for patients from those with six months left to live to those with a prognosis of twelve months.
- Increasing the residency requirement from one year to five years.
- Mandating that patients must self-administer the medication. Doctors are not permitted to perform the procedure.
* Source: Humanists UK