Letter: In brief

Sir: Recent letters have discussed the different attitudes to voluntary euthanasia said to be held by younger and older people.

What has not been made clear is how far any differences reflect, not the current ages of the people concerned, but the attitudes of the generations into which they were born.

Simplistic comparisons may conceal the fact that older people are becoming more inclined to support their right to decide than they were when younger, even if they are still less supportive than are younger people born into later generations.

We need longitudinal comparisons of the same people at different ages.

ERIC THOMPSON

London NW2