Sir,
The right to life is at the forefront of the debate dividing America over the desperate plight of Terry Schiavo and whether doctors should continue to keep her alive, even though she has been in a persistent vegetative state for almost 15 years.

Indeed, the right to life is a key campaigning cry of the religious Right, which has for years championed the principle over the contentious issue of abortion.

How ironic then that the ruling Christian right in America, which cannot accept withdrawal of treatment for a woman barely clinging on to life, should also be the staunchest defenders of the death penalty.

Surely, as they argue, man does not have the right to terminate a life. That is a privilege that belongs to God.
Andrew Philips, Limassol