SIR – Why is it people can choose what is best for their pet, but not their family.

Recently I had to make the difficult choice of putting my 18-year-old cat through treatment to extend his life, by perhaps months, or putting him to sleep.

It broke my heart, but I decided it was wrong to prolong what was inevitable. How lucky I was to be able to prevent further suffering.

Not so for the mum and brother of Tom Inglis. His mum gave the ultimate gift of love by giving her severely disabled son a fatal injection.

Frances Inglis will have known the consequences of her actions, but the greater love of her son prevented years of suffering and release from misery.

My heart goes out to her and her family, and I hope her courageous, ultimate gift of love that a mum can show her children can help change the law about what is best for people when faced with a life they know their loved ones would not have wanted.

If there was a way that I could state when and how I choose to die, perhaps saving taxpayers hundreds of pounds by not having expensive treatment that would prolong life for a few months, then it is time this option was made available.

Mary North, Sharp Street, Wibsey