The Isle of Man’s Legislative Council (LegCo) - the upper house of Tynwald - has today passed the Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill in its final stage.

Dr Allinson’s Bill, which if introduced would assist dying for terminal ill adults who have a ‘clear and settled’ intention to end their life, has progressed further than any such proposal in the British Isles, putting the Isle of Man on track to be the first to legalise assisted dying.

The Bill will now return to Members of the House of Keys (MHKs) in the lower house for approval.

When all Clauses and amendments are agreed by both houses, it will be sent for Royal Assent and an implementation period will begin, before terminally ill residents are able to access assisted dying, potentially from 2027.

Legislative Council debated Dr Alex Allinson MHK’s Assisted Dying Bill at its third and final reading today, with members voting to pass the Bill 7-1.

Before the sitting, supporters gathered outside the Tynwald buildings to share their views on the Bill, many bringing heartfelt personal stories.

Unlike previous debates throughout 2024, which drew both supporters and opponents of the Bill, this morning’s gathering outside Tynwald was attended solely by those in favour.

Today’s vote came on the same day as Westminster’s Assisted Dying Bill Committee began three days of public evidence sessions, making Kim Leadbeater MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill the first ever Private Member’s Bill to hear oral evidence, and the Health Committee scrutinising Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill held its penultimate evidence session in the Scottish Parliament.

Each Bill proposes to introduce measures to assess eligibility, ensure medical oversight, and monitor every step of the assisted dying process, with greater protections as well as greater choice for those who need and want it as they die.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: ‘Members of the Manx Upper Chamber should be congratulated for pressing ahead with this most crucial reform, giving the Bill the scrutiny and time it deserves.

‘The Isle of Man has shown that it is fully possible to deliver a workable Bill that brings both choice for dying people and greater protections for everybody.’

MLCs passed amendments that would ensure a mandatory referral to a psychiatrist is made if there are doubts about the patient’s mental capacity and ensured there is a requirement for specific training for healthcare professionals to identify coercion, duress or pressure.

They also voted to echo a clause in Kim Leadbeater’s Bill that requires that a person be registered as a patient with a GP practice on the island in order to access this choice.

MLCs rejected amendments including those that would have reduced the prognosis requirement from 12 months to six months and would have prohibited assisted deaths from taking place at Noble’s Hospital.