‘No surprises' as St Pier seeks another vote on assisted dying

As a bill which proposes legalising the practice cleared its first hurdle in the UK Parliament yesterday, Gavin St Pier called for the States to join forces with counterparts in Jersey who are working on an 18-month project to draft primary legislation to allow assisted dying.

He is understood to be in discussion with potential signatories for a requete and could submit it in the next few weeks for a States debate early next year.

‘There will be no surprises,’ said Deputy St Pier.

‘It will be based on the policy options which were presented to the Assembly in Jersey earlier this year.

‘These were the product of a citizens' assembly, considerable policy research and an ethical review.

‘We do not need to reinvent the wheel.

‘It seems obvious to me that the two islands should also be pooling their resources in drafting the appropriate legislation.’

Politicians in Jersey have said that assisted dying could not be legalised there until 2027 at the earliest.

Deputy St Pier said yesterday’s first reading of a private member’s bill tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater was ‘a further milestone’ towards what he considered the inevitable outcome of making assisted dying legal across the British Isles.

The bill will face a substantive vote on its second reading in the UK Parliament on 29 November.

Party leaders have said their MPs will get a free vote on the issue.

A recent national survey of 10,000 people indicated that support for an assisted dying regime was running at about 75%.

In Guernsey, research published in March indicated that nearly nine out of 10 people wanted to see a change in the law to allow assisted dying.

‘Public opinion has been firmly behind law change for many years,’ said Deputy St Pier.

‘When law change comes, it will give so many terminally ill individuals real comfort to know they have options at the end of their lives, even though the vast majority will not choose to access an assisted death for themselves.’

Earlier this year, some local politicians and religious leaders voiced fears that legalising assisted dying could undermine the island’s values towards the elderly and vulnerable.

The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Rev. Tim Barker, said he was concerned that any safeguards initially included in an assisted dying law could be liberalised in the future, a point also made this week by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. He called the idea of assisted dying ‘dangerous’ and suggested it would lead to a ‘slippery slope’ where more people could be pressured to end their life.

Deputy St Pier said he respected the views of opponents of assisted dying but that it was no longer acceptable for people who would like an assisted death to be legally prevented from accessing the necessary medication and care.

‘The right to choice includes all those who have personal, ethical or faith-based objections.

‘These must be respected but also they should not be imposed on those who do not have those objections,’ he said.