THE Diane Pretty saga poses many questions on whether allowing an individual to suffer against her wishes is morally correct, or a violation of human rights.

The views of Rachel Hurst, director of Disability Awareness, (Echo, May 13) are not based on justice, but on her own point of view.

She is not prepared to comment on another person's death because we don't know what it is like to die. So, because of her own ignorance, she believed Diane Pretty does not have the right to make up her own mind and must suffer.

Diane Pretty and her legacy will be remembered long after the likes of Rachel Hurst, and one can only hope that the courage and tenacity of Diane Pretty makes the so-called justice makers look very deeply into their souls. Diane Pretty was denied justice. - John Young, Crook.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

THE undisguised hatred that Hugh Pender (HAS, May 11) has for Britain, its constitution and traditions prompt me to suggest that he considers moving to a country more to his liking.

His latest outpouring demonises the monarchy and attacks our most consistently reliable and willing ally, the United States. America is castigated for confronting its enemies and defending its citizens from terrorism and aggression, but isn't that what elected national governments are supposed to do?

Israel comes in for special condemnation (the only democratic state in the entire Middle East). In Mr Pender's eyes, the defence of their nation from Palestinian terrorism amounts to acts of criminality.

No letter from Mr Pender would be complete without his customary act of homage to Brussels and his desire that we become a vassal state totally subservient in the envisaged European superstate.

No nation, especially the current fourth largest economy, ever failed by being independent and controlling its own affairs. Total withdrawal from the EU is the only guarantee that we will retain our democratic freedoms and independence of action. - Dave Pascoe, Press Officer, UK Independence Party, Teesside Branch.

PAVEMENTS FOR THE PEOPLE

THE Pavements for the People campaign by Darlington Council has laudable aims. But how can it succeed when the police and council turn a blind eye to cyclists using the pavements and vehicle owners using them for parking? - M Fenton, Darlington.

CONSTRUCTION WORK

ON behalf of the residents of Richmond, Colburn, Catterick Garrison and surrounding places, I would like to thank the company that is putting the gas pipes in for leaving the roads and footpaths completely covered in mud.

Do they know what a brush is, or are they like most companies nowadays that disappear, leaving a mess for the council to clean up and the residents to pick up the bill, and also to replace all the slabs they have broken on the new cyclepath and the complete mess of the grassed areas?

We know the job has to be done, but they could be a bit more considerate and keep it tidy. - T Amos, Colburn.

HEALTH ISSUES

READERS are free to classify the following as anecdotal, a contribution to natural science, or just plain commonsense.

We are non-smokers. Our family of six children grew up together. We did not understand why two of our children (a boy and a girl) lost lots of school time due to severe attacks of asthma until our old cat died and the replacement kitten was killed in a road accident.

The immediate improvement in the weaklings' general health and well being was so obvious that these two now keep well away from cats and dogs.

Not only domestic animals. The now untroubled boy was much later taken to visit to relatives. Before going near their house (no dogs, no cats, no cigarettes) we saw a pony looking. I made a thoughtless mistake by lifting my son to gently touch the muzzle of the pony; that was all.

Following this momentary action we entered the house. Within 20 minutes my son had difficulty with his breathing, his eyes were watering and his cheeks became bright red. We were obliged to take him home at once where he had to take a week off school to recover.

The lad grew up to be fit enough to pass the searching entry tests before he joined the police force. He is not a dog handler.

Why do we think more of domestic pets than we do of the health of young children? - Tom Cookeram, Barwick-in-Elmet, Leeds.

WAR ON TERRORISM

WHEN Iran wanted to nationalise its oil industry, the British and Americans, seeking to protect their oil supplies, organised and funded the military coup of 1953 which installed the Shah instead.

This sowed the seeds of Iranian nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism, which came to a head with the revolution of 1978-9.

Iran then became the enemy, so the West armed the enemies of Iran, supplying Saddam Hussein with conventional weapons and, perhaps inadvertently, the raw materials for chemical/biological weapons.

Meanwhile, Israel acquired nuclear weapons. This provoked no protest from the Americans, who continued to supply the Israelis with all the military hardware they asked for.

Unsurprisingly, some Arab nations sought their own weapons of mass destruction and their efforts were met with immediate Western reprisals and sanctions.

None of this means that the West in any way deserves the terrorist attacks it now suffers, but it does illustrate how self-interested meddling can come back to haunt us.

Understanding such processes also provides some hope for peace in the future - the current War on Terrorism can only perpetuate the cycle of carnage. - Pete Winstanley, Durham.