The Jersey States Assembly will decide this week whether to legalise assisted suicide on the island, after a Citizens’ Jury recommended that the current law protecting vulnerable people be changed.
If the States Assembly vote in favour of the proposition, a new law would be drafted to detail how legal assisted suicide would work in the British Crown Dependency. States Members would then vote on this new law after the next election in 2022.
Assisted Suicide in the Channel Islands
Campaigners began their push to legalise assisted suicide in the Channel Islands on the island of Guernsey. Proposals to introduce the dangerous practice were brought forward by the then-Chief Minister, Deputy Gavin St. Pier, and rejected by 10 votes.
A renewed effort occurred when the Jersey Government appointed a Citizens’ Jury this January that reviewed the potential for legalising assisted suicide.
The question asked was: “Should assisted dying be permitted in Jersey and, if so, under what circumstances?”
The panel of 23 islanders agreed that any Jersey resident over the age of 18, who is experiencing a terminal illness or “unbearable suffering”, should be able to end their life. They also agreed that the following caveats should be included in any law:
- The term “unbearable suffering” would exclude mental illnesses such as depression.
- A pre-approval process via a specialist tribunal would act as a safeguard.
- There would be a compulsory period of “cool-down” between applying for an assisted death and the event occurring.
- The assistance to die should be given by doctors and nurses only, not non-medically-trained individuals.
Health Minister Deputy Richard Renouf has said that he will not support any assisted suicide legislation: “I fear that you can’t get to the heart of somebody who may be feeling under pressure to come to that sort of decision to end their life who may be battling with a disease which has left them depressed, or worse, having influenced pressures imposed on them from family members.”
"We must protect the vulnerable"
SPUC’s Michael Robinson, Executive Director (Public Affairs & Legal Services), said: “Assisted suicide is based on anti-life prejudice, masquerading as compassion, asserting that some people’s lives are not worth living and that their lives should be ended.
“However, under a regime of assisted suicide, the sick, disabled and elderly would be deprived of the liberty of living in a society that values them equally with other people – placing pressure on already vulnerable persons to choose death.
“It is vital that pro-life supporters maintain a proactive attitude and vigilance to defeat these emerging threats to the vulnerable. They must be protected.”
Take action
Please respond to the consultation on the proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adult (Scotland) Bill.