Mr. Andrew Copson:

Assuming the question earlier about disabled people was asked in good faith, a recent report by the University of Glasgow found no negative effect on disabled people. It was quite an extensive report that we can share with the committee. I do not know about opinion polling in Ireland but in the UK, 88% of people with disabilities support assisted dying. Of course, many of the campaigners for assisted dying have been people with disabilities, such as the people I mentioned in my opening statement as having taken human rights based cases for the right to an assisted death. That is also true in Canada. I agree with Mr. Riley when he says we should not patronise and stereotype people with disabilities or older people.

On the question asked by Deputy Lahart, my point is not limited to the terminally ill. I agree that there is no logical distinction between those who are terminally ill and those who are incurably suffering but are not terminally ill. Assisted dying laws that limit themselves to the terminally ill permit larger amounts of unnecessary and incurable suffering than laws which admit both terminally ill and incurably suffering people. That is a genuine distinction between the two advocates for assisted dying before the committee today.