Summary
Jersey has approved a law that allows terminally ill adults to choose to end their own lives. This law now awaits Royal Assent in the UK, and the first legal assisted deaths could happen next summer. Jersey has become the second part of the British Isles to approve assisted dying after the Isle of Man.
Key Facts
- The law passed in Jersey allows terminally ill people to choose to end their lives.
- Eligible individuals must have terminal illnesses causing unbearable suffering with a life expectancy of six months or 12 months for neurodegenerative conditions.
- Jersey and the Isle of Man, another part of the British Isles, have both approved assisted dying.
- In Jersey, people need to be residents for at least 12 months to be eligible for assisted dying.
- The law passed with 32 politicians voting in favor and 16 against.
- The law still requires Royal Assent in the UK before it can be enacted.
- The proposal has sparked significant debate and controversy in the UK.
- Other UK regions, including England and Wales, are still debating similar laws.
