Isle of Man assisted dying proposals backed by UK campaigner

About 100 people attended the meeting at the South Douglas Old Friends Association

Progress in developing assisted dying laws on the Isle of Man could be a catalyst for other jurisdictions, a member of the House of Lords has said.

Baroness Molly Meacher is a former chairwoman of campaign group Dignity in Dying, which held a public meeting on the issue in Douglas on Thursday.

Proposed new laws would give terminally ill people with less than six months to live the right to end their lives.

A public consultation on the subject earlier this year divided opinion.

The Assisted Dying Bill is due to have its second reading later this month.

Baroness Molly Meacher has attempted to change the law in England and Wales in the past

Following the meeting at the South Douglas Old Friends Association, which was attended by about 100 people, Baroness Meacher said she was grateful to have heard "people's personal experiences and the power of those experiences".

While her own attempt to change the law in England and Wales failed in May 2022, the independent peer said moving forward with the legislation on the island could prompt other nations to follow suit.

She said: "I think it'll encourage Scotland to go ahead and get their bill through, Jersey likewise."

Any change could also lead to Westminster getting an assisted dying bill through, she said.

Sue Biggerstaff voiced her support for a change in the law at the meeting

Ballabeg resident Sue Biggerstaff said she supported a change in the law after her husband Simon's death as a result of motor neurone disease.

She described the last few weeks of his life as "sheer hell" and "traumatising" as he lost the ability to talk or eat unaided and needed a ventilator to breathe.

"He deserved a say in how he died," she said.

Paul Water said medical advances meant people could outlive their diagnosis

But Paul Waters, who lives in Onchan, said he had concerns that any changes in the law in the future could create a "slippery slope".

He said medical advancements meant that people could often outlive their diagnosis.

"I've heard some heart wrenching stories tonight, but there's an old maxim, difficult cases make bad law," he said.

Margaret Brown said she supported the bill as long as appropriate safeguards were in place

Fellow Onchan resident Margaret Brown said she would support the proposals as long as stringent safeguards were put in place.

She had seen people "having to be hoisted out of bed, wanting to die and not being able to", she added.

The private members bill, which has been brought forward by Alex Allinson MHK, is due to be debated in the House of Keys on 31 October.

This week the British Medical Association wrote to Dr Allinson calling for doctors to have the right to refuse to play a role in assisted dying, should the law change.

During Thursday's meeting the MHK said an "opt in" rather than "opt out" system would be something that would be brought into the legislation.

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