The Assisted Dying Bill is set to return to the House of Keys for further consideration within the next month, with the MHK moving it happy with changes made by MLCs.
The private member’s bill, put forward by Dr Alex Allinson, was guided through LegCo by Peter Greenhill MLC.
Speaking about the progress, a Dr Allinson said he was “very grateful for the Legislative Council” for going over the bill, which saw members take witness evidence, as well as making amendments to the bill sent to them by MHKs.
The amendments range from administrative changes to more significant safeguards and adjustments to residency requirements.
Dr Allinson said: “Some are relatively minor in terms of the qualifications and things you have to put down on some of the forms. Some are slightly more in terms of strengthening the safeguards and also looking at the residency criteria.”
Residency
Residency requirements have been a contentious topic. Originally set at one year, an amendment put forward by Rob Callister MHK extended it to five years to avoid potential “health tourism.”
Dr Allinson said: “What Legislative Council have said is, if you have been here on the island for over 12 months, and then you’re given a terminal diagnosis, you should be able to have the availability of assisted dying.
“And I think with what we’ve seen happening in Westminster, that is certainly something for the house of keys to consider again.”
Dr Allinson said he has reached out to Kim Leadbeater, who is taking a similar bill through the UK parliament, while he is also keeping tabs on progression of bills in other neighbouring jurisdictions.
He said: “Each of our us are trying to bring in legislation that suits our local communities, but I think there is a common thread through all of them in terms of choice and autonomy for people who are facing an imminent death.
“Really this is about not necessarily shortening life, but shortening that death process, and giving people the ability to say, I want to be in control of how and when I die.”
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