Assisted dying passes initial stage of Legislative Council after moving to Isle of Man upper chamber

The Isle of Man's assisted dying bill has seen strong support from both sides of the argument. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

The Isle of Man's assisted dying bill has passed another parliamentary hurdle, as it moves even closer to becoming law.

Senior politicians in the Legislative Council (LegCo) voted seven to one to pass the bill through the Principles stage - the initial debate in the upper chamber of Tynwald, where they are able to discuss the wider subject of the bill.

It will now move into the clauses stage, where politicians will analyse with more details, and vote on any amendments.

Members of LegCo are unable to vote a Bill down, and can only amend and delay it by up to 12 months.

It means assisted dying could become an option for those living on the Isle of Man as soon as 2027.

Members of the Legislative Council have began debating assisted dying in the upper chamber of Tynwald.

During the lengthy debate, Paul Craine MLC was the only member to vote against the Bill, with all other members voting in favour of the change.

The Council also voted in favour of a number of evidence sessions to occur as part of their scrutiny.

The private members bill was initially brought to the House of Keys by Dr Alex Allinson MHK and, after members voted 16 to eight to pass the bill on its third reading, it moved on to the LegCo.

Peter Greenhill MLC, who introduced the bill to LegCo, said it was "about choice for those who are about to die".

If it continues its trajectory, it could receive Royal Assent as soon as 2025, followed by consideration of how the legislation will be implemented, with assisted dying potentially available to terminally ill Manx residents from 2027.

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Tynwald is the Isle of Man's parliament, separated from laws made in the UK. Credit: ITV Granada Reports
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Diane Kelsey MLC proposed a number of evidence sessions should occur before a final vote, particularly given a similar debate is taking place in Westminster.

She said: “My proposal would be to specifically concern ourselves with the differences between both of the proposed bills currently passing through the UK Parliament and the Bill which has been brought to legislative council by my colleague today.

“I am not proposing a re-examination of the principles or the setting up of another committee, but an evidence stage.

"It would involve us looking at the clauses of the current UK bills - subject to the availability of the second bill, which is going through the Commons which is still being drafted - and the possibility of asking questions of one or both of those movers of the private members bills in the UK, together with taking evidence from the private member from our own House of Keys, to ensure that we better understand the differences in approach.”

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