RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Ms B and Diane Pretty: a commentary JF Journal of Medical Ethics JO J Med Ethics FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP 234 OP 235 DO 10.1136/jme.28.4.234 VO 28 IS 4 A1 P Singer YR 2002 UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/28/4/234.abstract AB 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.