St. Helier, Jersey, Oct 6, 2021 / 15:00 pm
The health minister of the British channel island of Jersey has expressed opposition to the legalization of assisted suicide, and says he will vote against the proposal in the island’s parliament later this year.
In March 2021, Jersey formed a citizens' jury, made up of 23 randomly selected applicants, to determine whether assisted suicide should be allowed on the island. If the island changes its laws, Jersey will be the first place on the British Isles to allow assisted suicide, though proposals to legalize the practice are also being considered in both Scotland and England.
The Jersey jury met virtually ten times over two months, starting March 18, to hear evidence and consider and debate the legal, ethical, and medical implications of legalizing assisted suicide.
Ultimately nearly 80% of the jurors, or 18 out of the 23, agreed that assisted suicide should be permitted where a Jersey resident, aged 18 and over, has a terminal illness or is experiencing “unbearable suffering,” which would not include suffering caused by a mental condition such as depression, ITV reported.