Enough is Enough. Dying people shouldn’t face more delays on assisted dying in Jersey: Sign our open letter to the Chief Minister now
In 2021, with overwhelming public support, the States Assembly agreed in principle to assisted dying. It was a historic moment, but two years on dying people in Jersey are still being forced to choose between suffering, suicide or Switzerland.
The next phase of the process has just been delayed again by months. Changing the law takes time, but every moment without change denies dying people the freedom of choice at the end of life - we need to work together to make sure legislation progresses without further delay.
Jersey citizens like you are calling on the States Assembly to progress the change in the law without delay. Will you sign the open letter now to help pile on the pressure? >>
Dear States Members,
Dear Chief Minister,
We, citizens of Jersey, are calling for urgent action on assisted dying. Government has confirmed that they intend final proposals for law change to be lodged by the end of the first quarter of 2024 with the debate to follow 12 weeks after. This timetable must be adhered to in order to give Jersey citizens confidence that the Government stands by its commitments. The more time goes by without action on this critical issue, the more harm is done to terminally ill people and their families.
Two years ago, in November 2021, we were delighted and proud when the States Assembly became the first parliament in the British Isles to agree in principle to assisted dying. We applaud our States Members for grasping this incredibly important issue, and commend those in government who have been working diligently ever since on producing proposals for law change that are compassionate, robustly safeguarded, and extensively evidenced.
However the publication of, and debate on, these refined proposals has been pushed back by several months, and we urge our States Assembly to ensure these proposals are debated on schedule in 2024 and without further delay.
In the absence of an assisted dying law with upfront safeguards, dying people who want choice in how they die are left in a legislative no man’s land that is unfair, unequal, and unsafe. Those with the means to do so can travel to Switzerland to die, costing on average £15,000, but this forces dying people to cut their lives short so they can travel while they are still well enough. Dying people facing a painful and protracted death who cannot afford, or do not wish to make, this traumatic journey, are left to face extreme suffering, or even consider ending their own lives behind closed doors.
The damage done to terminally ill people is clear to see in their stories: like Alain du Chemin, who was denied the choice he so desperately wanted here in his own home of Jersey when diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour; or Crispin Ellison, who was forced to travel to Switzerland when he was dying from motor neurone disease.
The Jersey public have long supported action on assisted dying. The very proposals being considered were prompted in 2018 by a petition, signed by nearly 2,000 citizens, that led to the Citizen’s Jury which recommended law change. Polling consistently shows that not only do the vast majority of the public support a change in the law, but we also want to see it debated urgently.
We hope you will listen to our voices, and progress proposals for assisted dying without further delay. For those at the very heart of this debate, dying people and their families, change is desperately and urgently needed. The most dangerous choice we can make now is to do nothing.
Thank you, Jersey Citizens for Assisted Dying
