Churches on Isle of Man respond to passing of Assisted Dying Bill 

Churches Alive in Mann – a group of Christian Churches on the Isle of Man which seek to work together and support each other in mission - has issued a statement expressing 'sadness and deep concern' at the passing of the Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill

A Bill to legalise the practice was voted through the parliament's upper chamber on 25 March, and will now be put forward for Royal Assent. It means the Isle of Man could be the first part of the British Isles to introduce assisted suicide.

In response, Churches Alive in Mann issued the following statement:

With sadness and deep concern, we note that the Assisted Dying Bill will now pass into law. Churches Alive in Mann, representing all the main Christian denominations on the Island (Baptist, Catholic, Church of England, Elim, Living Hope, Methodist, Salvation Army, United Reformed Church) has worked over the last three years to raise our strong misgivings.

Mindful of the strength of feeling on all sides we have sought to work carefully and constructively, including through contributions to the debates made by  Bishop Tricia, and before her, Bishop Peter. Through numerous public meetings, engagement with our MHKs (Members of the House of Keys) and MLCs (Members of Legislative Council) and through lobbying, we have spoken as Church leaders with one voice against the Bill, for both pastoral and moral reasons.


Pastoral Concerns

The Tynwald (Manx Parliament) debate as this Bill progressed towards law has done nothing to lessen our pastoral concerns, particularly for the most vulnerable members of Manx society. The very existence of this legislation will inevitably cause some  of our elderly, disabled or vulnerable people to feel more of a burden. More worrying still, and despite legislative amendments, we believe there is very little effective provision to guard against coercion.

While we recognise the intent to provide training for the medical professionals involved, we believe that the involvement of a person trained in spotting coercion, such as a social worker or advocate, would provide greater safeguards. We very much hope and request that opportunities to include this be pursued in the implementation of this legislation.


Moral Concerns

For thousands of years, ‘Do not kill’ has been an ethical foundation for many civilisations. We believe that all human life is a sacred gift from God. The value of any member of our society is not determined by variable measures of the quality of life. The premature ending of individual lives will inevitably diminish the high value we place on all lives.


Working for our Common Good

We are grateful for the members of our Churches and people of goodwill across the Island who have stood against the Bill. We also recognise that many, in good conscience, take a different view. Our hope is that, in this divisive area, we can all recognise that our disagreements are over issues, rather than between people.

As secondary legislation, regulations and codes of practice are now developed, we will do all we can to work for the protection and care of all in Manx society, and especially the voiceless and the vulnerable. We urge the members of Tynwald to follow through with their expressed intent to ensure these protections are addressed and enshrined in practice.


Image | Castle Rushen, Isle of Man | James Qualtrough | Unsplash


As a group of Christian churches on the Isle of Man, Churches Alive in Mann seeks to work together and support each other in mission wherever it can.

Churches Alive in Mann represents the following churches: Church of England, Methodist Church, Catholic Church, United Reformed Church, Living Hope, Elim Onchan, Salvation Army, Broadway Baptist.