Jersey could legalise assisted dying for people who are terminally ill or have an incurable condition with unbearable suffering under proposals to be debated in the island’s parliament.
The proposals, published on Friday, may lead to Jersey becoming the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to allow assisted dying.
Only people who have lived in Jersey for at least 12 months before requesting assisted dying would be eligible, a stipulation to prevent so-called death tourism, where people travel for the purpose of having an assisted death.
Following a debate in May, Jersey’s states assembly is expected to vote on whether to proceed with drafting legislation. That process would take about 18 months, and if the resulting law was approved, there would be a further 18-month implementation period. The earliest a law could come into effect would be spring or summer 2027.
The proposals say an individual must have a voluntary, clear, settled and informed wish to end their life, and have capacity to make such a decision.
They must be aged 18 or over, and be “ordinarily resident” in Jersey, meaning that they live on the island and are not temporarily there for work, study or holidays. Anyone requesting an assisted death would need to be assessed for eligibility by a minimum of two doctors.
For someone who is terminally ill, there would be a minimum of 14 days between a person’s request for assisted dying and the date their life ends. For people living with an incurable physical medical condition that gives rise to unbearable suffering, there would be a minimum of 90 days to allow for additional assessments.
Health professionals would have the right to refuse to take part directly in assisted dying.
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
This month, Keir Starmer said he was “committed” to allowing a vote on decriminalising assisted dying should Labour win the general election. Downing Street has previously said it would be up to parliament whether to debate assisted dying again. The last vote was held in 2015.
In Scotland, a bill on assisted dying put forward by the Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur is expected to come before Holyrood in the coming weeks. On the Isle of Man, a committee has been scrutinising a bill to allow assisted dying and the proposed law is expected to be debated by the island’s wider parliament soon.
Sarah Wootton, the chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “Today is a victory for compassion and common sense in Jersey and for the British Isles as a whole. We are a step closer to some terminally ill Britons having meaningful choice over their death, and the Jersey government must be applauded for its leadership on this historic issue.”
In the run up to the election, “voters will demand to know why some Britons may soon be able to access this choice, but they cannot.”
Trevor Moore, the chair of My Death, My Decision, welcomed the Jersey proposals, in particular that assisted dying would be extended to people who have an incurable condition with unbearable suffering, “giving choice, compassion and dignity to people suffering from conditions like motor neurone disease and locked-in syndrome”.
He added: “We urge Westminster politicians to take note and respect the overwhelming public support in England and Wales for assisted dying reform.”
