The right to life

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

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.