THE statements made by Care Not Killing (CNK) concerning Gordon Ross’s attempt to clarify his legal position regarding assisted suicide is revealing (“Anti-suicide alliance poised to oppose right-to-die case”, The Herald, February 11).

Rather than repeatedly raising theoretical concerns about safe­guards, which would appear to be incapable of being answered to its satisfaction, CNK’s underlying motive has become clear. It is to deny choice.

The law’s impact in maintaining the intolerable suffering of some of those who are nearing the end of their lives is simply ignored, while its “powerful deterrent effect” is welcomed. Such a pitiless refusal to recognise and accept the means of bringing unendurable distress to an end is lamentable, writes Linda Britton in The Herald