Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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My next question is for our guests from the National Suicide Research Foundation. I was very struck by the last key point in their opening statement regarding the lack of evidence for the effectiveness and standardisation of safeguards in the process of assisted dying, with a difficulty in identifying what safeguards would be deemed sufficient. That is almost, but perhaps not quite, saying that it is impossible to have safeguards in this situation. Much of what has been presented to us regarding a proposed change in the law is predicated on the idea that there is a cohort of people who know exactly their own mind and whose autonomy should, in effect, be absolute when it comes to this decision. One of the arguments presented is that if the law is changed, it may contribute to a lowering of suicide rates. I have seen evidence submitted by Professor David Paton of the University of Nottingham to the British parliamentary commission looking at this issue. It accords with what Dr. Anne Doherty told us last week, which is that if we total up assisted and unassisted suicide rates, there is not evidence that making provision for assisted dying ever contributes to a lowering of suicide rates, contrary to what would be claimed by advocates for a change in the law, and that there may be some cohorts, such as women with an unmet need for support for depression, who may be particularly vulnerable. If the witnesses agree with that, are they broadly of the view that a change in the law here could endanger society's efforts to combat suicidality and suicide rates?