Matters of Life and Death Laura McDaid is a journalist and media lecturer at the North West Regional College. After 17 years working at BBC News NI, Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, she began a freelance career from her home in Limavady in 2023. In her BBC Sounds podcast series 'Assume Nothing, The Last Request', she investigated the abuses carried out on women and children at mother and baby homes across the island of Ireland alongside producer Kerry Jamison. The series, which was awarded at the ARIAs and New York Festivals for its journalism, also told a personal story, in which Laura set out to trace the birthmother of her friend Martin Barry, who died at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland in 2005. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx