Isle of Man parliament backs assisted dying bill in historic step'

The Isle of Man has moved a step closer to legalising assisted dying after its parliament backed a proposal to allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to choose an assisted death

- Robert Booth

The House of Keys voted through a bill setting the self-governing UK crown dependency on a path to becoming the first part of Britain and Ireland to legalise assisted dying, subject to safeguards.

It is estimated that between two and 40 people would use the law annually. It would also allow a person to request a doctor to administer a lethal injection, known as euthanasia.

But the Isle of Man is unlikely to become like Switzerland, the destination for at least 540 Britons to access legal assisted dying. If it becomes law, assisted dying in the Isle of Man will only be for people expected to die within six months who have been resident for at least a year.

Some members of the Isle of Man parliament nevertheless raised concerns that people from the mainland would move there to make use of the legislation, placing unsustainable strain on the local health system.

The bill has further stages to go through before it is enacted, but the vote in favour of the second reading, 17 to seven, was welcomed by right to die campaigners as a “historic step”.