The chief executive of UK charity Dignity in Dying has described the granting of Royal Assent to the Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill as a ‘historic and deeply emotional day’.
Sarah Wootton said the development was significant for the island and the families who had campaigned for a change in the law.
The Bill, introduced by former Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson, received Royal Assent on October 16, with the announcement made by President of Tynwald Juan Watterson during Tuesday’s sitting.
Ms Wootton said: ‘Today is a historic and deeply emotional day for the Isle of Man, and above all for the families who made it happen.
‘Dying Manx people now have the reassurance that, if their suffering becomes unbearable, they will not be abandoned to pain, fear or desperate alternatives.’
In a statement issued by Dignity in Dying, campaigner Sue Biggerstaff also spoke about her experience of watching her loved one, Simon, die after developing motor neurone disease.
She said: ‘Today I’m thinking of Simon. He was such a proud, active man, and motor neurone disease took everything from him so quickly.
‘By the end he couldn’t move, he could barely speak, and he was in so much pain that he would cry out. He pleaded with me to make it stop, and there was nothing I could do. Nobody should have to watch someone they love die like that, and nobody should have to die like that.’
Ms Biggerstaff said Simon would have been eligible under the legislation and would have wanted the choice.
She added: ‘It’s too late for him, but it isn’t too late for the next family. Knowing that no one else on this island will be forced to go through what Simon went through means everything to me.
‘I want to thank Dr Allinson, every member of Tynwald who listened to us, and everyone who has stood outside Tynwald with us in all weathers. We did it, Simon.’
The Assisted Dying Bill 2023 passed through Tynwald in March 2025, making the Isle of Man the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to pass legislation to legalise assisted dying.
Its progress was delayed after the UK Ministry of Justice raised concerns about whether sufficient safeguards were in place to ensure it complied with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Tynwald approved amendments in June intended to address those concerns, including provisions allowing a person to withdraw their request for assisted dying at any stage.
The amended Bill was subsequently resubmitted for Royal Assent.