The results of the assisted dying public consultation reveal that respondents were almost evenly split on the matter.

It comes after Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson was given leave to introduce a Private Member’s Bill providing for assisted dying in the Isle of Man in June 2022.

A public consultation was run over eight weeks from December 2022 to January 2023 to explore some of the policies and procedures involved in drafting such a proposed law.

Of the 3,326 responses,1650 (49.61%) respondents said that they disagreed that assisted dying should be permitted for terminally-ill adults on the Isle of Man, with 1,630 (49.01%) respondents saying they agreed that it should be permitted.

Thirty-six (1.08%) respondents said they were not sure, and ten (0.30%) did not answer the question.

A total of 2,728 of these respondents went on to explain their answers.

The report says that while it is impossible to capture all of these views, for those who agreed, common themes included people’s individual choice, importance of preserving individual dignity and the need for autonomy and choice.

One response said: ‘People should be given the right to pass with dignity in order to provide an additional option to palliative care that prevents potential pain and suffering to the terminally-ill person and their loved ones and that also provides a sense of control and preserves the dignity of the terminally-ill person regarding the end of their life.’

Another said: ‘I have seen first-hand when a friend was allowed to suffer against their will - this is unacceptable.’

A third said: ‘I watched my mum and husband die within months of each other and mum’s death was awful, I don’t want to have to suffer in the same way. My death is my business, no one else’s and I resent religious and other groups thinking that their opinions override other people’s wishes. I don’t expect anyone else to do the deed but give me the means to do it myself.’

For those who disagreed with the notion, a range of ethical, moral and religious reasons were given.

One respondent said: ‘It would undermine the important balance between personal autonomy and societal responsibility, and cause unacceptable risk to vulnerable individuals and groups.’

Another said: ‘The experience of what has happened in Belgium, The Netherlands and Canada demonstrate that once legalised a number of changes to the safeguards take place and children, the mentally ill and in some cases the unwilling are being euthanised.’

A third said: ‘On moral, legal and religious grounds it is wrong for anyone to take or assist in taking a life.’

The report said: ‘Respondents who were opposed to this often refused to answer and expressed their dissatisfaction with the wording of the consultation in general referring to the questions as “biased” and “misleading”.’

The report has now been published and details percentages of responses to all of the questions, this can be found on consult.gov.im

The report states: ‘Following on from the responses to this public consultation changes will be made to the drafting of a Bill which will be laid before Tynwald later this year for a full democratic debate.

‘These drafting instructions will concentrate on adequate safeguards and a clear commitment to the express Tynwald approval of guidelines and supplementary regulations which will ensure open and transparent parliamentary scrutiny of all the legal and practical aspects of this important piece of legislation.

The mover of the Bill, Dr Allinson MHK, said: ‘I have been overwhelmed by the support for these proposals and the devastating stories of suffering at the end of life and examples of how the law is simply not working for many dying people on our island.

‘On the other side of the debate people have shared heartfelt moral and ethical views on why they do not agree with assisted dying and expressed fears for what could happen if the law changed.

‘Clearly we need to find a way to modify the existing law in a safe, reassuring way so that personal choice can be respected and suffering reduced without unduly impacting those who would not want to make use of this option themselves.

‘These considerations will be taken into account in the drafting of legislation and further public discourse and parliamentary scrutiny will be welcomed.’

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: ‘This report clearly demonstrates that the current law in the Isle of Man is not working for dying people. In the face of these terrible stories, it is clear that doing nothing is not an option and I commend Dr Allinson and fellow MHKs for grasping the nettle on this issue.’