The island’s new abortion law is still weeks away from taking effect.

History was made on Tuesday when royal assent was granted to Dr Alex Allinson’s legislation, relaxing the current restrictive regime on abortion in the Isle of Man.

But the waiting game continues: the government first needs to bring forward an appointed day order, which will determine the date upon which the law as set out in the Abortion Reform Act becomes active.

Health Minister David Ashford has warned that it might take until the March Tynwald - more than eight weeks away - before that order can be placed, with the actual date to follow after that.

Speaking just minutes after news of the royal assent was broken to Tynwald on Tuesday, Mr Ashford insisted his department was keen to start operating under the new law. But he admitted that the February Tynwald might come too soon for the appointed day order to be lodged at that sitting. He told the Manx Independent that the March Tynwald was ’more realistic’.

’We would be looking to move the appointed day order as quickly as possible,’ he pledged.

The Department of Health and Social Care had to ensure that all the correct services were in place from the first moment the law became active.

’We will be clinically led on this,’ he said. ’We have been engaging with the clinicians who will be dealing with this to make sure they are content that everything is in place.

’My department has been working very hard to make sure we have everything in place and I will be having further meetings in relation to this.’

Ramsey MHK Dr Allinson, who started the long legislative road to reform two years ago, when he first sought permission to draw up his Abortion Reform Bill, said he was ’relieved’ royal assent had now been granted.

Following an arduous process in which the actual bill was introduced early last year, after an extensive consultation, and then went underwent the closest scrutiny of recent political process, Dr Allinson admitted to some frustration at how long it had taken. Even after political approval was secured in the island, progress was exacerbated by apparent delays in obtaining confirmation, from a Brexit-besieged Ministry of Justice in the UK, that the bill was fit to be sent for royal assent.

’I apologise to the women of the Isle of Man for the length of time it has taken to arrive at where we have today,’ he said.

’This is the first step. We have a law but what we need to make sure is that the law provides services for women in the Isle of Man to provide safe abortions for women who need it.

’I am confident we can arrive at this as soon as possible.’

Abortion reform completed its process through the branches of Tynwald in November, the most closely scrutinised and debated piece of Manx legislation in recent history.

Under the new law, abortion will be permitted upon request up to 14 weeks, under specified circumstances including ’serious social grounds’ during the 15-24-week period, and in certain emergency or serious situations after 24 weeks.

Provision has also been included to create ’access zones’ around medical centres to protect women and medics from harassment.

Under the old law, termination was legal up to 24 weeks where medical practitioners considered there was substantial risk the child would not survive birth, would die shortly afterwards or would be seriously handicapped.

Pregnancies resulting from rape, incest or sexual assault could be terminated up to 12 weeks, but women had to provide an affidavit attesting to the cause of the pregnancy. Terminations on social grounds were not allowed.