October 21, 2026
Assisted dying is now law in Isle of Man
The Assisted Dying Bill 2023 was granted Royal Assent on 20 October reports Alex Blakeand & Chanelle Sukhoo, for the BBC.
With the law to legalise assisted dying granted Royal Assent and announced on Tuesday, it would be reasonable for people to think a service is just around the corner.
The reality is that the legislation’s approval marks the start of a lengthy process of consultations, secondary legislation and logistical planning before assisted dying can be introduced on the Isle of Man.
The work is expected to take at least 18 months, in line with the timeline for implementing the island’s capacity legislation.
Once introduced, assisted dying will allow eligible terminally ill Manx residents to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.
‘Significant, sensitive moment’
Under the law, adults who have lived on the Isle of Man for at least five years and have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of 12 months or less will be able to request an assisted death if they have a clear and settled intention to end their life.
Each application will be subject to strict eligibility assessments, medical scrutiny and an independent review after death.
Alex Allinson, the former Ramsey MHK and doctor who brought forward the Assisted Dying Bill 2023, said the priority was now to create “the best service for the people of the Isle of Man”.
He said consultants, GPs, nurses and pharmacists had already approached him about participating once assisted dying is introduced.
Allinson said the number of people seeking an assisted death on the island was likely to be relatively small, and that the focus was on “providing the right service for them and their families”.
In a statement, the Isle of Man government described Royal Assent as a “significant and sensitive moment for the island” and said it marked “the start of a careful process, not the end of one”.
How long will it take?
The government currently expects assisted dying to become available no earlier than April 2028, as other safeguarding legislation must be in place first.
It said no implementation date had been set and the law would not come into force until “all practical, clinical and safeguarding arrangements have been agreed”.
Ministers and health officials must now establish how the service will operate in practice, including training, safeguards and independent oversight.
Thirty year campaign
The campaign to introduce assisted dying on the Isle of Man stretches back decades.
But the political debate gathered momentum in 2014, when campaigner Millie Blenkinsop-French submitted a petition to Tynwald calling for a change in the law.
Since then, the issue has repeatedly returned to the Manx parliament.
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