The Isle of Man, located in the sea between the United Kingdom and Ireland, is the first of the British islands to pass a law to legalise assisted suicide.

Self-governed by its own parliament and under the protection of the British crown, the Isle of Man this week voted in favour of a bill that allows adults who suffer from a terminal illness and have a maximum life expectancy of 12 months to choose to die by assisted suicide.

The person requesting to die must have lived on the Isle of Man for five years and be registered in the local health system. Two independent doctors must verify the decision.

The law has received the support of parliament (House of Keys, made up of 24 MPs) and is now only awaiting the signature of King Charles III.

The initiative was brought up for discussion in 2022 and defended as an opportunity to provide “autonomy and choice” to terminally ill people.

The Isle of Man is home to 84,000 people and its capital is Douglas, which accounts for a quarter of the total population of a territory that is about 50 km long at its longest axis.

Christian groups say it will hurt vulnerable people

CARE, a group giving Christian perspectives on socio-political issues, has lamented the “deeply sad step” of this law, which “turns the Isle of Man’s long-standing approach to suicide on its head”.

With this new legislation, CARE added, “the equal value of every citizen living on the island will no longer be affirmed” as parliamentarians “ignored very stark warnings about the prospect of vulnerable people being coerced into ending their lives, and people acting after a wrong prognosis”, said the organisations spokesman James Mildred.

They also criticise that politicians have “rejected strong evidence of abuses and incremental expansion of legislation overseas, and evidence that many people choose assisted death because they feel like a burden”.

Care Not Killing, a campaign led by doctors, has also said that the law is a “terrible mistake” and has pointed to the lack of protections for the elderly in other countries where assisted suicide has been allowed, such as The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Australia.

Similar laws ready in England and Scotland

Meanwhile, in Westminster, the United Kingdom parliament in London, another assisted suicide bill is nearing the end of its consideration and could be voted in the House of Commons (lower chamber) in April or May.

Also Scotland is expected to vote its own Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults in a few weeks.