End-of-life care 'needed before assisted dying law'

Over-18s resident in Jersey for more than 12 months would be able to make their first requests for assisted dying, but certain criteria would have to be met

Laws for assisted dying in Jersey could have to wait until the States agrees a separate plan to care for people towards the end of their lives.

Health Minister Tom Binet has set out proposals for legislation on assisted dying, but plans to ask the States to agree whether a new end-of-life care law should be presented before assisted dying becomes law.

If politicians approve the end-of-life care proposal, it could pave the way for assisted dying by 2027.

Over-18s resident in Jersey for more than 12 months would be able to make their first requests for assisted dying, but certain criteria would have to be met.

They would be eligible if they had a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months, or 12 months for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, or if they could not bear the suffering any treatment could cause.

Humanists have welcomed the draft law and are urging politicians to support it.