Dr. Mary McCaffrey:

That was their opinion having practised abroad. In all of their clinical experience and practise they had not met a woman citing suicidal intent or ideation purely because she was pregnant. That was the view of the 12 consultants involved.

With regard to the two signatories, nobody among the people to whom I have spoken believed it was appropriate for an obstetrician to have an opinion on suicide. The view is that obstetricians are not specialist trained in psychiatry and that that is the remit of psychiatrists. Nobody believed they would be comfortable making a diagnosis of suicide as an obstetrician.