Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Ms B and Diane Pretty: a commentary.

P Singer1

  • 1University Center for Human Values, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1013, USA. psinger@princeton.edu

Journal of Medical Ethics
|August 6, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Recognizing malnutrition in adults with critical illness: Guidance statements from the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition.

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)·2025
Same author

Recognizing malnutrition in adults with critical illness: Guidance statements from the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition.

JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition·2025
Same author

Modifications of lung microbiota structure in traumatic brain injury ventilated patients according to time and enteral feeding formulas: a prospective randomized study.

Critical care (London, England)·2023
Same author

Erratum to "TICACOS international: A multi-center, randomized, prospective controlled study comparing tight calorie control versus liberal calorie administration study" (1).

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)·2023
Same author

Reducing the knowledge to action gap in hospital nutrition care - Developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0.

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)·2020
Same author

TICACOS international: A multi-center, randomized, prospective controlled study comparing tight calorie control versus Liberal calorie administration study.

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)·2020
Same journal

Ethics briefing.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
Same journal

Medical ethics and categorisation.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
Same journal

Suspension or prioritisation? Exploring the ethics of age-based rationing in adult ADHD services.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
Same journal

Ethics of not knowing who we are talking to in qualitative research.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
Same journal

Suicide is not a public health issue and perhaps very few things should be.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
Same journal

Normalising transparency: an argument for requiring generative AI use declarations in all manuscripts-with a call for commentaries.

Journal of medical ethics·2026
See all related articles

Competent adults, like Ms B and Mrs Pretty, should have the right to choose the manner of their death. Legal distinctions in end-of-life choices for paralyzed individuals lack a moral basis.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Legal Studies
  • Bioethics

Background:

  • Recent court cases involving paralyzed competent adults (Ms B and Mrs Pretty) highlight differing legal outcomes regarding end-of-life decisions.
  • Ms B was permitted to end her life through treatment withdrawal, while Mrs Pretty was denied assistance in dying.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the legal and moral distinctions between the cases of Ms B and Mrs Pretty.
  • To argue for a consistent ethical framework for end-of-life choices for competent adults.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative legal analysis of two specific court cases.
  • Ethical argumentation based on principles of autonomy and dignity.

Main Results:

  • The legal distinction hinges on whether the request is for treatment withdrawal (Ms B) versus active assistance in dying (Mrs Pretty).
Keywords:
Death and EuthanasiaLegal ApproachProfessional Patient Relationship

Related Experiment Videos

  • This legal distinction is argued to be morally indefensible.

    • Conclusions:

    • Both Ms B and Mrs Pretty, as competent adults, should have been afforded the choice in how they die.
    • The law should be re-evaluated to align with a consistent moral basis for end-of-life autonomy.