By Fergus WalshMedical editorThe right for terminally ill people on the Isle of Man to be helped to die could be a step closer after crucial votes in its parliament on Tuesday.Members will debate whether lethal drugs should be self-administered or given to those eligible by doctors.The island could become the first part of the British Isles to pass assisted-dying legislation.If royal assent is received next year, its first assisted death could come as soon as 2027.Another crown dependency, Jersey, is set to vote on proposals next week, although it has yet to introduce a bill. Both islands set their own laws.Dr Alex Allinson, a politician and doctor, introduced the private members’ bill at Tynwald, the Isle of Man parliament.He told the BBC that “fewer than a dozen” people a year would be expected to opt for an assisted death, which was now “a step closer” to becoming reality.How will the legislation work?Last week, members of the House of Keys (MHKs), roughly equivalent to the House of Commons at Westminster, began debating the clauses of the Assisted Dying Bill, which passed its second reading in October.Proposed Isle of Man assisted dying laws progressThis is a pivotal stage of the legislation as politicians vote on the details of who would be eligible. The bill allows for the provision of assisted dying for terminally ill adults with capacity and a “clear and settled intention” to end their lives.Two key changes to the original bill have been approved so far. Firstly, MHKs voted to increase the required residency period on the Isle of Man from one year to five, after concerns that it could encourage so-called “death tourism”.Secondly, politicians backed a change to allow those with less than a year to live the right to die, rather than six months as originally proposed.Dr Allinson said the legislation would help “a very small number of people” to have “autonomy and control over how and when they die”.But Julie Edge, another member of the House of Keys, described it as a “kill bill” saying there were not enough safeguards in place, adding that it could put “additional cost and pressures on the health service”, and deter doctors from coming to the island.The clauses yet to be voted on concern the involvement of the medical profession in assisted dying. The bill currently states that two doctors must verify that people meet the eligibility criteria.One of the most controversial areas to be voted on is whether patients could ask a doctor to give them a lethal injection, a form of voluntary euthanasia. The other option is to restrict it to patients self-administering the drugs.Once the clauses stage is completed at the House of Keys, the bill will then go for Third Reading – usually a formality – before being sent to the Legislative Council, the equivalent of the House of Lords. After that it would require the Privy Council in London to grant Royal Assent.There would then follow a period of at least a year while the health service on the island sets up the system and decides how it should operate. However, the island’s chief minister, Alfred Cannan, has said the bill should be put to a public vote before it becomes law. His proposal for a referendum may not be voted on until next month. Medical concernsA third of doctors who responded to an Isle of Man Medical Society survey last year said they would consider leaving if the legislation was introduced.Manx doctors reject assisted dying bill in surveyDr Duncan Gerry, a geriatrician, fears that the legislation will be a “slippery slope”. He told the BBC: “When you allow peop …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnBy Fergus WalshMedical editorThe right for terminally ill people on the Isle of Man to be helped to die could be a step closer after crucial votes in its parliament on Tuesday.Members will debate whether lethal drugs should be self-administered or given to those eligible by doctors.The island could become the first part of the British Isles to pass assisted-dying legislation.If royal assent is received next year, its first assisted death could come as soon as 2027.Another crown dependency, Jersey, is set to vote on proposals next week, although it has yet to introduce a bill. Both islands set their own laws.Dr Alex Allinson, a politician and doctor, introduced the private members’ bill at Tynwald, the Isle of Man parliament.He told the BBC that “fewer than a dozen” people a year would be expected to opt for an assisted death, which was now “a step closer” to becoming reality.How will the legislation work?Last week, members of the House of Keys (MHKs), roughly equivalent to the House of Commons at Westminster, began debating the clauses of the Assisted Dying Bill, which passed its second reading in October.Proposed Isle of Man assisted dying laws progressThis is a pivotal stage of the legislation as politicians vote on the details of who would be eligible. The bill allows for the provision of assisted dying for terminally ill adults with capacity and a “clear and settled intention” to end their lives.Two key changes to the original bill have been approved so far. Firstly, MHKs voted to increase the required residency period on the Isle of Man from one year to five, after concerns that it could encourage so-called “death tourism”.Secondly, politicians backed a change to allow those with less than a year to live the right to die, rather than six months as originally proposed.Dr Allinson said the legislation would help “a very small number of people” to have “autonomy and control over how and when they die”.But Julie Edge, another member of the House of Keys, described it as a “kill bill” saying there were not enough safeguards in place, adding that it could put “additional cost and pressures on the health service”, and deter doctors from coming to the island.The clauses yet to be voted on concern the involvement of the medical profession in assisted dying. The bill currently states that two doctors must verify that people meet the eligibility criteria.One of the most controversial areas to be voted on is whether patients could ask a doctor to give them a lethal injection, a form of voluntary euthanasia. The other option is to restrict it to patients self-administering the drugs.Once the clauses stage is completed at the House of Keys, the bill will then go for Third Reading – usually a formality – before being sent to the Legislative Council, the equivalent of the House of Lords. After that it would require the Privy Council in London to grant Royal Assent.There would then follow a period of at least a year while the health service on the island sets up the system and decides how it should operate. However, the island’s chief minister, Alfred Cannan, has said the bill should be put to a public vote before it becomes law. His proposal for a referendum may not be voted on until next month. Medical concernsA third of doctors who responded to an Isle of Man Medical Society survey last year said they would consider leaving if the legislation was introduced.Manx doctors reject assisted dying bill in surveyDr Duncan Gerry, a geriatrician, fears that the legislation will be a “slippery slope”. He told the BBC: “When you allow peop …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
