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The case of Ms B and the “right to die”
  1. A Slowther
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr A Slowther, Ethox, Institute of Halth Sciences, Old Road, Headington, Oxford 0X3 7LF, UK;
 anne-marie.Slowther{at}ethox.ox.ac.uk

Abstract

The High Court in England has ruled that doctors are acting illegally if they refuse to comply with a competent patient’s request to switch off their ventilator even if the result would be death. If doctors feel unable to do this then they must arrange for the patient to be transferred to the care of a colleague who is prepared to comply with the request.

  • Law and medical ethics
  • end-of-life decisions
  • informed consent

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