Call to scrap assisted dying bill after UK block

"Huge issues" with the Isle of Man's assisted dying bill have been exposed, according to a group of health and social care professionals, after the UK government asked for changes to be made before it could grant Royal Assent.

The legislation, to allow terminally ill Manx residents the right to die, was approved by the Manx parliament in March 2025.

The Ministry of Justice has now asked Tynwald to include more safeguards, which the bill's author Alex Allinson described as "technical changes" to "strengthen" the law.

But Graham McAll from Manx Duty of Care (MDOC) said: "These are not just technical issues, these are huge issues which aren't on the face of the bill adequately addressed."

McAll described gaps around safeguarding, including the "lack of pre death reviews, post death reviews, independent reviews, and the vulnerability of of many people to coercion".

The group, made up of doctors, GPs and therapists, opposed the introduction of assisted dying and argued that vulnerable people should be protected rather than given access to such measures.

McAll said it was "madness" to introduce "a fully funded death service" at the same time as having an "inadequately funded hospice service".

He therefore called for Allinson to withdraw the bill altogether and said it would be "sensible" to wait and potentially align with future UK legislation.

There was "an incredibly busy legislative schedule" before the end of this administration, he said, adding that it was "not the time to start opening up these huge debates all over again".

The Ministry of Justice has asked for key safeguards, which were to be set out in secondary legislation, to be written explicitly into the main body of the bill to ensure compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Allinson said he was now working with Tynwald members on those amendments to "get over that technical hurdle so we can move forward".

Last week, campaigners for the bill said the delay would lead to "more people suffering the longer it takes".

Despite the setback, Allinson said he was confident the legislation would eventually come into force.

"It absolutely will happen," he said.

He added that the proposed amendments would strengthen the bill rather than change its core principles.

"They are technical changes to make sure that those existing safeguards that we debated at length through Tynwald... to strengthen it even more," he said.

Allinson added that while the process had taken time, it was important to proceed carefully.

"It's absolutely imperative that we do it in the right democratic way," he said.

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