Pros and cons of changing the law on euthanasia in Hong Kong

As Victor Fung Keung pointed out in the Observer column ('A person has the right to a dignified death', August 18), most people object to euthanasia without thinking about the subject in a rational way.

They ignore the fact that someone who is terminally ill will not get better. And they are indifferent to the suffering and mental anguish that these patients endure. It is cowardly to ignore the excruciating pain they suffer before dying. People opposed to euthanasia banish thoughts of their loved ones ever facing such pain.

There are those who attempt to take the moral high ground, saying a life should not be ended in this way under any circumstances.

We have to face the issue of euthanasia. We must address it now, not just because of the pleas of the quadriplegic Choi Wan-fung ('Quadriplegic thinks about how to kill himself every day', August 16), but also because it is simply inhumane to stand idly by while people die in extreme pain.

The government and legislators should have the courage to reform the law on euthanasia.

Ko King-tim, Kowloon Tong