Jersey approves assisted dying law as jersey assembly votes 32 to 16

The States Assembly in Jersey approved a bill to allow terminally ill adults the right to choose an assisted death, a change that campaigners celebrated outside the States Chamber on Thursday. The move finishes the island’s legislative process and sends the bill on for Royal Assent, with the first legal assisted deaths possible as early as next summer if assent is granted.

Assembly vote: 32 in favour, 16 against

Members of the States Assembly voted by 32 to 16 in favour of the bill on Thursday. The bill will now be sent for Royal Assent, which has been described as likely to be a formality by some officials. Campaigners gathered and celebrated the decision outside the States Chamber after the vote.

Who would qualify under the new Jersey law

Under the Jersey legislation, mentally competent adults with a terminal illness who have been resident on the island for 12 months would be eligible to opt for an assisted death. Eligibility covers people with terminal illnesses causing unbearable suffering who are expected to die within six months, and extends to those with neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease where the expectation is death within 12 months.

Residency rules, service setup and a timetable for implementation

Both Crown dependencies have set residency requirements: 12 months for Jersey and five years for the Isle of Man. An assisted dying service in Jersey is expected to take at least 18 months to set up. Officials have noted that, once Royal Assent is granted, the first legal assisted deaths on the island could occur as early as next summer.

Comparisons across the British Isles and wider legislative hurdles

Jersey becomes the second part of the British Isles to have fully approved assisted dying legislation; the Isle of Man was the first, having legalised assisted dying last March though its legislation has not yet received Royal Assent. In the Isle of Man’s provisions, adults with a prognosis of fewer than 12 months to live who have been residents for five years would be given the right to an assisted death. Royal assent is usually granted between three and six months after a bill passes all its parliamentary stages, though processing times have varied.

Delays and scrutiny in Westminster and the Lords

Assisted dying remains under debate elsewhere: Westminster and Scotland continue discussions while a private member’s bill for England and Wales is being scrutinised in the House of Lords. The bill for England and Wales, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October 2024, would allow adults with a prognosis of six months or fewer to opt for assisted death. Members of the Lords have proposed more than 1, 000 amendments to that draft law, a level of scrutiny that critics say is slowing its progress. The bill can become law only if both Houses of Parliament agree on final wording before early May, when the parliamentary session is due to end.

Local reaction: ministers, campaigners and legal officials

Jersey’s Minister for Health and Social Services, Tom Binet, said Jersey "would have one of the safest and most transparent assisted dying laws in the world. " Matthew Jowitt, Jersey’s attorney general, said he would be "astonished" if Royal Assent was not granted and warned that failure to grant assent would create "a constitutional difficulty of some magnitude. "

Lorna Pirozzolo, from Jersey, who has terminal breast cancer, said the reform was "badly needed, " telling listeners she was "not scared of dying, but I am terrified of suffering as I go, " and that the law brings "enormous relief" for current and future islanders who deserve "compassion, choice and dignity at the end of life. " Louise Doublet, a States Assembly member, described the measure as "one of the most meaningful things we can do for our island, " calling it "a compassionate gift" guided by principles of compassion that will make "some really difficult moments in people’s lives a little bit less painful. "

Humanists UK chief executive Andrew Copson called the vote a "momentous vote of confidence for compassion, dignity, and choice at the end of life. " A UK government spokesperson said the length of processing time for bills "depends on the complexities and sensitivities of a bill, as well as any legal and constitutional issues. "

Public support, citizen input and administrative backlogs

Jersey residents had indicated support for legalisation in a 2024 poll, with 61% backing it. A citizens' jury in 2021 recommended that assisted dying be permitted in Jersey under specified circumstances. Administrative backlogs elsewhere have been highlighted: data obtained by the Press Association showed the Ministry of Justice took an average of 88 days to process Isle of Man legislation over the past six years, while the Ministry had not processed the Isle of Man's assisted dying legislation after 337 days.