Letter: Deaths spark moral debate

Sir: The slaughter of the innocent - James Bulger - has, understandably, been the subject of much emotive comment. But the letter from Patrick Stewart (19 February) goes too far. He asserts that it is indicative of the moral decline of society and that we are personally responsible because of our 'attitudes'. It is not and we are not. It is a brutal murder - no more, no less.

But the outrage, the comment and the concern the murder has sparked throughout the country is particularly encouraging. It demonstrates that people care about the death of one child.

A few weeks ago the Law Lords decided that the Hillsborough victim - Tony Bland - could be denied food, effectively starving him to death. That was a hard decision and was taken very seriously. It was made after a lot of soul-searching and was made with great concern for Tony Bland. Whether or not it was right or wrong is another matter. It, too, sparked a lot of comment and concern.

As long as we get upset about murders, and we continue to take moral decisions about individuals seriously, then 'morals' cannot have declined too far.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN F. PROSSER

London, E17

19 February