Isle of Man: Assisted dying laws should be debated again, MHK says

The issue has been debated several times by Manx politicians over the past two decades

Politicians on the Isle of Man should "explore the potential" for introducing assisted dying laws, an MHK has said.

It follows a vote by Jersey's parliament to approve its legalisation in principle.

Dr Alex Allinson, who previously raised the subject prior to the coronavirus pandemic, said terminally ill people should be given "autonomy".

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said any debate on the issue should not be brought forward by the government.

Tynwald members threw out a motion to change the law to allow assisted dying in January 2020, voting rather to note the debate.

'Individual members'

Dr Allison said while he was "really keen on bringing forward a private members' bill" on the issue, he would discuss the matter with his fellow politicians ahead of the move.

"I'll be discussing that with Tynwald members to see whether I have the backing for that going forward," he said.

"This isn't anything new, it's something a lot of advanced democracies have dealt with in terms of how we deal with that personal autonomy, and I think now is the time to advance that on the Isle of Man again," he added.

Mr Hooper said although he was personally "in favour of the principle of assisted dying", it "wouldn't be right" for the government to instigate the debate.

"I think my own view would be I'd probably be a bit more comfortable if we started having the discussion as individual members rather than anybody feeling it had the weight of government either for or against the particular arguments in question," he added.