The following is a letter submitted for publication in Media Isle of Man’s newspapers. To submit your own, write to [email protected]...

We have learnt quite a lot during the Clauses stage of the Assisted Dying Bill so far.

Firstly, many individual stories of assisted dying gone wrong have emerged.

For example Google the names Satya Kovac, Roger Foley, Autistic 27 year old MV, Alastair Hamilton, William Hertgers, Chris Gladders.

This raises the question, how many vulnerable people must die in order to enable some others to have control of the timing of their death?

Not surprisingly some MHKs are tiring of 'anecdotes'.

So turning from anecdotes we learnt that no drugs are licensed drugs for assisted suicide anywhere in the world, and there have been no formal clinical trials of such drugs at the doses used. 

And the Bill doesn't state whether assisted suicide would be part of Manx Care.

There is no funding mechanism in the Bill, though last week Dr Allinson did state an estimate of £20,000 per case (Dignitas is cheaper).

We also learnt that the Manx government provides about 27% of Hospice IOM funding. Will it fund Assisted Suicide to 100%? If so, that in itself is a strong message to the dying and those who know they are a burden on others. MHKs thought the idea of a stand alone charity was impractical, despite being content that the Hospice is one.

Also it is not clear in the Bill where deaths would happen, and if anywhere on the Island would be an assisted suicide free zone, where people could feel safe from that option being gently pressed on them as being the best way.

In one Canadian Care home a relative of a Manx person was asked every day.

We learnt that there had been no formal consultation with

Manx Care, Department of Health, The Isle of Man Medical Society, or Manx Pharmacists, before, during or after the authoring of the Bill.

And the Isle of Man Medical Society remains firmly opposed to it.

Even Canada insists a doctor is present at the death - and MHKs rejected that idea.

We have found out that some MHKs, eg the Health Minister, wish the Bill included 'intolerable suffering' (which cannot be defined), so we can expect the laws to slide in future, as they have in every state that has implemented this. 

Few discuss the impact of all this on the island's suicide prevention strategy.

Non-assisted suicide has increased at a faster rate in countries who have legalised this. It is not entirely clear why. One possibility is that it introduces the idea in law of a life not worth living, where previously doctors and nurses have always encouraged hope.

A comment from Amy Pritchard, on Climate Change, seems very applicable to this Bill, and the campaign of Manx Duty of Care: 'If the government’s primary duty is to protect the people, then the form of democracy we have is failing.

‘We took this action because the institutions and systems that we relied upon were not working, and do not seem to really understand the danger, although they do know about it.

‘It’s baffling and utterly terrifying.'

It is time to do the decent thing: put this Bill out of its misery.

And support social and palliative care more adequately.

Dr Graham McAll

part of Manx Duty of Care, the informal group of Manx Health and Social Care professionals opposed to Assisted Suicide