Isle of Man becomes first of British Isles to pass assisted dying bill

By Sam Tabahriti

LONDON (Reuters) -The Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency off northwest England, on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their own lives.

The bill would give residents with less than 12 months to live the choice to receive help to end their lives, potentially making the island the first in the British Isles where terminally ill people would have the legal right to end their lives.

Britain's parliament is considering a similar bill on assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. That bill is currently undergoing line-by-line scrutiny and will need to pass a final vote in both houses of the British parliament if it is to become law.

The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, but is considered part of the British Crown and has King Charles as its head of state.

Alex Allinson, a doctor and politician on the Isle of Man who brought the legislation there forward, confirmed the passing of the bill.

"Today, the Isle of Man parliament passed the Assisted Dying Bill which will now be submitted to the UK ministry of justice for Royal Assent," Allinson said in an emailed statement.

The Royal Assent is when King Charles, the head of state of the Isle of Man and other Crown Dependencies, formally gives his stamp of approval for the bill to become law.

Under the bill, those who wish to end their own lives must be terminally ill adults expected to die within 12 months. They must be aged over 18, registered with an Isle of Man family doctor and have been a resident on the island for five years.

People must have the legal capacity to make the decision, which must be verified by two independent doctors.

The bill was approved despite some opposing voices on the island of around 84,000 people. A 2023 Isle of Man Medical Society survey of 108 of its members - medical professionals - found 74% were against the bill, and 34% said they would go as far as considering leaving the island should it pass into law.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Catarina Demony and Ros Russell)