SPEAKOUT

I JUST WANT to say how dreadful it has been for the Cruzans to have to wait this long to be able to end the life of their daughter in a humane way. As a Missourian of long standing, I am absolutely ashamed of Attorney General Webster's stand in barring the family from permitting their daughter to die. His lack of contesting the latest appeal just proves how ridiculous his other defense of the state was. I don't think anyone can agree that he was doing anyone, including the state, any service. Thank you.

A. John Baker, communications assistant in the office of Attorney General William Webster, said Webster's office had no comment to make in response to the caller's position. Baker said the office has received hundreds of letters concerning the Nancy Cruzan case. "We're willing to listen," he said of the letters, "but they're not something we want to respond to." A brief history: Webster contested the Cruzan case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a ruling June 25 that allowed states to require "clear and convincing" evidence of a patient's wishes before authorizing withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. That prompted state and federal legislation governing right-to-die decisions. After the ruling, the state withdrew from the case, saying that since the legal issue was resolved, it no longer had a role to play.

I WAS WONDERING if you could tell me what time the people in Marble Hill are supposed to expect their morning papers. It is usually after 7 before I get mine, and later than that on Wednesdays and Sundays. Thank you.

Subscribers in Marble Hill, as well as throughout our circulation area, should receive their newspaper by 6 a.m. If you are receiving it later than that, please call our circulation department. The toll-free number is 800-666-7115.