The Tynwald parliament building on the Isle of Man.

Assisted dying bill passes third vote on Isle of Man

July 24, 2024

Assisted Dying

Humanist Society Scotland is delighted that a bill to introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people on the Isle of Man has passed its third reading.

The Assisted Dying Bill 2023 won the vote in the lower chamber of the Tynwald, the Manx parliament, by 16 votes to 8 on July 23. Earlier, in May, votes on key clauses were won and a number of wrecking amendments were defeated, another significant step forward on the path to legislation.

The bill is now more likely than ever to result in legalised end-of-life choices for Manx citizens. It will now pass to the upper chamber of the parliament, the Legislative Council. If successful there, the bill would receive royal assent in 2025, and could become law by 2027.

This progress towards assisted dying on the Isle of Man sets a clear precedent for the UK to follow. Like the law proposed by Liam McArthur MSP in Scotland, the Manx bill applies only to mentally competent, terminally ill adults (on the Isle of Man, they must be expected to die within twelve months). It will not apply to people with non-terminal, long-term health conditions. Citizens applying for assisted dying will also have to have been resident on the island for a year. This will prevent short-term travel to the island for assisted dying.

Scotland’s assisted dying bill is currently out for consultation. You can respond to both a short and full-length version of the consultation using our handy guidelines. You can also write to your MSP using our newly updated template letter, expressing your support for end of life choice. Just follow the two links below.