Views split on proposed assisted suicide laws for Isle of Man

Proposals to introduce new legislation granting terminally ill people on the Isle of Man the right to end their lives have split opinion.

The consultation, which opened in December, ran for eight weeks. There were 3,326 responses, of which 49.61% disagreed with the principle of assisted dying and 49.01% agreed with it.

Alex Allison plans on bringing forward the private member’s bill and commented on how he felt “overwhelmed” by the support.

However, a group of medics on the island said the results were “a democratic rejection”.

Manx Duty of Care stated that the findings show “legalising assisted dying in the Isle of Man would create more problems than it solves” and plans should now be “dropped completely”.

Concerns have also been raised about consent, safeguarding, and whether there are sufficient resources to cope with the proposed changes.

Ben Harris, the Island’s Medical Society president and director of Hospice Isle of Man, said that the proposed changes “would irreparably damage our caring Manx society”.

He went on to say that, if the changes were approved they would:

Allison stated said the consultation’s findings would help to “inform” the drafting of legislation and welcomed further public discussion and political scrutiny.