I AM surprised that you should belittle our MSPs by saying they are "running scared" of those who campaign against the legalisation of assisted suicide ("Quandary over final word on end of life", Herald editorial, December 19).

Our MSPs are independent-minded enough to weigh up the arguments for and against such legislation and make their own decisions.

As a wheelchair user with MS, I can sympathise with people who suffer from debilitating and distressing long-term conditions. But the answer is better care, not any form of euthanasia. Individual cases should not be the basis for changing the law.

Nor should Parliament put too much weight on opinion polls. For instance, even if a poll showed that the public favoured the reintroduction of capital punishment, Parliament would not be bound by it.

There are cogent reasons for rejecting the proposed Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

Opponents of the Bill have every right to present these arguments "vehemently and vociferously", as indeed do proponents to make their case. I am sure the evidence sessions before the Health and Sport Committee will be conducted soberly and even-handedly. We can do without inflammatory language in this debate.

Rev Dr Donald M MacDonald,

6 Craiglockhart Grove, Edinburgh.

Edinburgh.