I'm sorry Ms. Dellen, but never in my life have I seen someone so devoid of hope ("Living at all costs is a flaw of our Western society," March 3).

I can only imagine what it must be like going about your day so down trodden not expecting anything good to happen.

I, on the other hand, will live with hope throughout life.

Hope that good things will happen. Much like the fact you forgot to mention that Terry Schiavo reacts to the voices of family members.

Hearing her family causes her to smile, to cry when she hears a sad story and to generally act better if you can imagine a comatose person doing so.

I call this hope. Pulling the plug is called defeat. Those women who carry out an ill-fated pregnancy do not do so out of sadism and cruelty, but out of hope that they will be the exception.

They are not against abortion, but for the good things that can come of this world.

I seriously hope you don't live your defeatist life like you have laid it out in this article.