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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Proper Care and Cleaning of the Microscope
Published on: August 11, 2008
Ms B and Diane Pretty: a commentary
1University Center for Human Values, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1013, USA. psinger@princeton.edu
Abstract:
In two recent court cases, Ms B, a paralysed competent adult, was allowed to end her life; Mrs Pretty, another paralysed competent adult, was not. In legal terms, the essential difference between the two cases is that Ms B was seeking the withdrawal of treatment, whereas Mrs Pretty was asking for assistance in ending her life. I argue that while this distinction may accurately state the law that governs these situations, it does not rest on a defensible moral basis. Both the women should have been allowed to choose the manner in which they would die.
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