This is Prospect’s rolling coverage of the assisted dying debate. This page will be updated with the latest from our correspondent, Mark Mardell. Read the rest of our coverage here
26th February
Not so fast. I rather jumped the gun yesterday suggesting the Isle of Man would be the first place in the British Isles to vote to legalise assisted dying. They probably will be, eventually, but there’s a way to go yet. The House of Keys voted to reject several important amendments suggested by the Legislative Council—a sort of cross between the bill committee and the House of Lords. So now they will meet to decide whether to accept this or fight back. This could end up in parliamentary ping pong, Manx style. More detail soon.
25th February
The House of Keys has voted to throw out lowering the residency requirement from five years to one.
24th February
6pm
History will (probably) be made tomorrow when the Isle of Man becomes the first place in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying. The quaintly named House of Keys will vote on the remaining amendments suggested by the Legislative Council, which undertook the committee stage. Given these were all relatively minor tweaks unlikely to sway hearts or minds it is likely to pass without much fuss. This would mean the assisted dying bill would be sent for royal assent and the option would be available from 2027 for residents who have lived on the island for at least 12 months. They would need to have a terminal illness expected to kill them within a year.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “We pay special tribute to the Manx families who intimately understand the dangers of banning assisted dying, and who have fought for so long for a safer, fairer future. That future is now within touching distance.
“There is growing recognition across our Isles that banning assisted dying causes harm and fails to protect people. Dr Alex Allinson MHK’s Bill represents a thoughtful and balanced response to this problem, and Members of the House of Keys and Legislative Council should be commended for their leadership.” More tomorrow.
3pm
Victoria was the first state in Australia to introduce assisted dying in 2017—20 years after the practice was briefly legalised and then banned again in the Northern Territory. Now Victoria is signalling that its ban on doctors discussing assisted dying with patients may soon be lifted.
This change is one of those proposed in an important review which has just been published as the law becomes four years old. The review body found the law “has been safe for patients, families and the community at large.” The government has accepted all their recommendations, including increasing the time limit from predicted death from six months to 12.
It is little wonder that groups campaigning for a more liberal bill in Britain point to this as a success story with lessons for Kim Leadbeater. Humanists UK writes: “The Victorian law requires that the patient accessing assisted dying must have six months left to live or less, or 12 months left to live if they have a neuro-degenerative condition. The proposed law in England and Wales is six months for everyone, although an amendment has been put forward to change that to the same system as Victoria.
“In New Zealand (a six-month limit), many people lost their decision-making capacity before they could proceed. In contrast, in Victoria, only 7 per cent lost competence during the process.
‘However, as the 12-month limit has proven more compassionate for people with neuro-degenerative conditions, the Victorian government is now proposing extending it to all conditions. They argue this will also help doctors who have difficulty determining how long a patient has left to live.”
So far I haven’t seen any reaction to the news from opposition groups, but when it comes we’ll bring it to you.
