Jersey has voted to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults, becoming the second of the British Isles to do so after the Isle of Man.
Members of the States Assembly voted in May 2024 in favour of drawing up laws for an assisted dying service in the Crown Dependency.
The vote was 32 in favour and 16 against. The bill will now go for royal assent.
Under the bill, a person with a terminal illness “who is experiencing or is expected to experience unbearable physical suffering” and die within six months, or 12 months with certain neurodegenerative conditions, will be able to choose to end their own life.
In order to be eligible, the person will also need to have been a resident of Jersey for 12 months.
The first assisted deaths could take place there as early as next summer.
As a Crown Dependency, for primary legislation to get royal assent and become law, the Lord Chancellor – currently David Lammy – is required to make a recommendation that it should do so.
In March last year, the Tynwald in the Isle of Man became the first parliament in the British Isles to agree a framework for assisted dying.
But the process of getting that framework on the statute book has yet to be finalised.
The Jersey legislation would allow a doctor or registered nurse to administer lethal drugs. This in contrast to the assisted dying bill being considered at Westminster, which states terminally ill adults must take an approved substance themselves.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.