They did so after JEP columnist the Rev Canon Dr Gavin Ashenden, one of two guest speakers, argued against the move, urging caution and warning of potential ‘unintended consequences’.
The opposing speaker, Silvan Luley, a senior director of the Dignitas assisted-dying clinic near Zurich, said that there had been a number of benefits since legislation was passed allowing assisted dying in Switzerland 35 years ago.
He said that these have included reduced suicide rates, improved palliative care and better doctor-patient relationships. He urged Islanders to back the introduction of a similar law in Jersey, but stressed that it was up to people of the Island to decide what form it should take.
‘Medical care has its limits and any doctor who denies that is lying,’ he said.
‘Palliative care is about more than just pain. It is about spiritual care, love and compassion, but even that may not help a person.’
He added that just 1.6% deaths in Switzerland were through assisted dying and he felt that it was unlikely that people would be pressured to end their lives, if Jersey introduced the laws.
Dr Ashenden pointed to examples of when the introduction of assisted dying laws had had tragic consequences, such as the decision of a patient in Canada to take his own life after becoming frustrated with health service administration staff.
He said that he was also concerned that it could undermine the ‘sanctity of life’ and that attitudes, including among doctors, could change so that there would be a tendency for weak and vulnerable people to be pressured to end their own lives.
‘If you have a law where everyone has a right to end their life, there will be plenty of people who feel a pressure that they will need to take that decision,’ he said.
‘I am simply saying that I think there will be unintended consequences.’
Dr Ashenden also said that those with psychological issues, such as depressed young people, could use assisted dying legislation to end their lives when they were not thinking rationally.
During a question and answer session, however, audience member and retired GP Sam Hamilton said that doctors would be able to ‘filter out’ patients who would not be suitable for assisted dying.
Mr Luley added that the process for assisted dying in Switzerland was very robust with a number of steps and procedures that need to be followed before someone could choose to end their life.
Audience member Rebecca Reddy said that the Swiss model for assisted dying was ‘excellent’ and other jurisdictions, like Jersey, could base their own legislation on it.
In a show of hands the audience voted 166 in favour of introducing assisted dying laws in Jersey, while 35 were against the move, with 17 abstentions.
