Assisted dying debate to take place in Guernsey

Guernsey's government will begin to debate proposals for assisted dying in the States today.

The proposals put forward by Chief Minister Gavin St Pier could, if passed, make Guernsey the first place in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying.

The plans have created division across the island though, with many people for and against.

Meanwhile a late attempt is being made to replace the plans, with improvement to health services and in particular, better palliative care.

Deputies Jonathan Le Tocq and Heidi Soulsby, have put forward an amendment to tomorrow’s debate.

Instead of undertaking work to look at an assisted dying regime, they are calling for more work to be done on improving palliative care, including increasing ‘on-island’ access to specialist consultants.