Assisted dying could soon be legal in the Bailiwick of Jersey after a citizens’ panel voted strongly in favour of a change in the law.
Jersey’s Assisted Dying Citizens’ Jury was asked whether assisted dying should be permitted and, if so, under what circumstances. The jury heard oral and written expert evidence over a ten-week period to give them an informed vote.
An initial report revealed that 78% (nearly four in five) believe assisted dying should be legalised, with the majority of those (70%) believing it should be legal for terminally ill adults or those suffering unbearably – subject to safeguards.
The citizens’ jury comprises just 23 islanders selected at random in Spring 2021. Jersey has a total population of almost 108,000. It was convened in direct response to a petition started by Humanists UK’s Assisted Dying Coalition partners, End of Life Choices Jersey. A final report is due to be published in late summer 2021.
In Scotland, doctors have strongly criticised a new Member’s Bill that seeks to legalise assisted dying. Proposed by Liam McArthur, a Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, the Bill would allow terminally ill adults who are mentally competent to choose assisted death, subject to safeguards.
Similar efforts to introduce assisted dying were defeated in 2010 and 2015. The latest Bill has the support of organisations including Human Society Scotland and Dignity in Dying Scotland – but not of Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, a permanent wheelchair user. She said the plans would be ‘dangerous for disabled people’ who do not enjoy the right to live equally.
A letter signed by 175 health-care professionals expresses deep concerns at the proposals. It says: ‘The shift from preserving life to taking life is enormous and should not be minimised. The prohibition of killing is present in almost all civilised societies due to the immeasurable worth of every human life.’
Dr Gordon Macdonald of Care Not Killing warned: ‘[Assisted suicides] ultimately gets driven by other factors, [like] saving money.’
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