Manx doctors ‘sound the alarm’ as assisted suicide law receives Royal Assent

Doctors have raised serious concerns about introducing assisted suicide on the Isle of Man despite the law receiving Royal Assent.

Consultant radiologist Vanina Finocchi, President of the Isle of Man Medical Society (IOMMS), expressed disappointment that the “decisions and pathway” for the proposals had been decided without reference to the group’s collective expertise.

The IOMMS represents about 150 medics on the island. In 2023, a society survey found that nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents said they would refuse to help terminally ill people kill themselves.

Vulnerable at risk

On Tuesday, marking the first day of the new parliamentary session, Tynwald President Juan Watterson announced that Royal Assent had been granted to the Assisted Dying Act 2026 on 16 October. It had previously stalled over human rights concerns.

The legislation’s author, MHK Alex Allinson, claimed the new law would “ensure greater choice, compassion and dignity for those facing a terminal illness”.

But Finocchi said that its introduction would “change a lot of approaches in healthcare” and doctors had a responsibility “to advocate for those who cannot, for vulnerable people”. She also called for assurances that palliative care provision on the island would be “robust, funded, strong and accessible”.

GP Dr Martin Rankin, who recently retired as IOMMS President, highlighted the danger of vulnerable people being pressured into requesting assisted suicide and the difficulty for doctors in determining a terminal prognosis.

State-sponsored suicide

The law will enable eligible residents deemed to be terminally ill and with twelve months or less to live to get help to kill themselves. Work on its implementation is expected to take at least 18 months.

The Isle of Man is now the second part of the British Isles, after Jersey, to legalise assisted suicide.

In September, MPs at Westminster voted to reject Lauren Edwards’ dangerous assisted suicide Bill by 286 to 270 votes; the defeat came just six months after the Scottish Parliament rejected Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill.