A U.K. court has confirmed a ruling that will remove a 21-month-old child from life-support despite the parent’s desire to keep the child on it. The court of appeals in London denied the parent’s request to have their child, Alfie Evans, moved over to Vatican’s Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital where treatment could be continued. Essentially, the original lower court’s ruling ruled in favor of physicians at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to cease life-support. The doctors call life-support for the child a “futile” situation.
Alfie suffers from a neurological degenerative condition that has yet to be named. He lives now in a vegetable state. His parents, however, believe that Alfie is still responsive, prompting their escalation of the matter to London’s appeals court.
“At this moment, Alfie’s not ready so we’re not ready to let go,” Tom Evans, the boy’s father, told BBC.
Mr. Evans plans to take the case to the U.K.’s Supreme Court.
The situation for Alfie Evans is strikingly similar to last year’s battle over Charlie Gard. Gard passed away at 11 months after U.K. courts also denied him the right to seek out any further treatments.
“Our aim is always to try and reach an agreement with parents about the most appropriate care plan for their child. Unfortunately, there are sometimes rare situations such as this where agreement cannot be reached and the treating team believes that continued active treatment is not in a child’s best interests,” Alder Hey Children’s Hospital said in a statement, according to Crux.
“My son has been sentenced to the death penalty. The system has worked against us. I’m not crying because I know how wrong they are, I know how strong my boy is doing. He is strong, he is comfortable. This isn’t the end. This is just the start. I’m going to take this NHS down. I’m not giving up, my son isn’t giving up. No-one, I repeat, no-one in this country, is taking my boy away from me. They are not violating his rights and they are violating my rights,” Tom said after Hayden’s ruling, according to Daily Mail.
Dear Dr. Tenpenny and Staff. I truly love you and what you do, but language like, “Alfie suffers from a neurological degenerative condition that has yet to be named. He lives now in a vegetable state,” is the language of the folks who are pushing for his death. At this point we don’t know that his condition is degenerative and to refer to any severely brain-injured person as a “vegetable” is to do them further harm.
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Yes, this most definitely sounds like a vaccine injured child. Slipped through the cracks as most do. Infection, seizures, now “undiagnosed brain condition.” So sad.
Another vaccine injured baby. Bless his heart and can we pray that this sick world turns around? !!