The Isle of Man is set to become the first place in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying after clearing a final hurdle on Tuesday.
Lawmakers on the island, a self-governing British dependency lying between England and Ireland, approved a final reading of the assisted dying bill in its upper house.
It now only needs royal assent to become law.
Lawmaker Alex Allinson, who introduced the bill, was hopeful that it could become law later this year.
“It has been a long process, but it was something that, when I went into politics, I was committed to try to advance,” the doctor told the Press Association news agency.
The bill allows terminally ill adults, with less than a year to live and who have been resident on the island for five years to end their lives.
The decision will have to be independently checked by two doctors.
Across the Irish Sea, a similar bill is raising tensions in Westminster.
UK MPs are currently scrutinising an assisted dying bill, which was backed by a majority during a first vote in November and is set to return for another vote in April or May.
Dignity in Dying, a UK campaign for the right to die, hailed the Isle of Man move as a “historic moment for compassion”.
“Change is coming across the British Isles and the Isle of Man has led the way,” said Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the campaign group.
Assisted dying could be available as a procedure on the Isle of Man by 2027, the group said.
Allinson said the legislation probably “will only be used by a very small number of people”.
“But for those people it’s a very important step forward, in terms of autonomy and choice at the end of your life.”
The post Isle of Man to legalise assisted dying appeared first on Vanguard News.
