family of a 12 year old boy who is in a coma A London hospital for four months is expected to begin withdrawing life-saving treatment on Saturday after her parents exhausted her legal options in a battle over her care.
Archie Battersby’s mother, Holly Dance, said hospital officials informed the family they would suspend treatment of the boy at 10 a.m. British courts on Friday rejected the family’s request to transfer Archie to hospice , and the European Court of Human Rights refused a second time. intervene in the matter.
Dance told Britain’s Sky News that the family had nothing else to do and that she was “quite broken” after the ordeal that began on 7 April, when Archie was found unconscious.
“I’ve done everything I promised my little boy I’d do,” she said through tears.
The Royal London Hospital, where Archie was undergoing treatment, has not confirmed Dance’s statement.
Archie’s care became the subject of weeks of legal debate as his parents sought to force the hospital to continue with life-sustaining treatment and doctors argued there was no chance of his recovery and allowed him to die. should go.
The family sought permission to move Archie to a hospice after British courts ruled that it was in their best interest to end the treatment. The hospital said Archie’s condition was so unstable that shaking him would have caused his death quickly.
On Friday, High Court Judge Lucy Theis rejected the family’s request, saying Archie should remain in the hospital while treatment was withdrawn.
Theis wrote in her decision, “Recognizing the enormity of what lies ahead for Archie’s parents and family, I return to where I started. His unconditional love and dedication to Archie is a golden one.” thread.” “I hope now Archie can be given the opportunity to die in peaceful circumstances for him, with family that means so much to him as it clearly does to them.”
This controversy is the latest case in Britain in which the decision of doctors has been given against the wishes of the families. Under British law, it is common for the courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree on the treatment of a child. In such cases, the best interests of the child take precedence over the right of the parents to decide what they believe is best for their offspring.
