In a move designed to free him from the strictures of the British justice system, eleven-month-old Charlie Gard, who suffers from a severe disorder that has caused British courts to say that his parents must let him die, has now been granted legal permanent resident status in the United States. Gard is now blind, deaf, and unable to move.
According to Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Congress just passed an amendment that “grants permanent resident status to #CharlieGard and family so Charlie can get the medical treatment he needs.”
The British claim that no matter his passport, they won’t let him leave; a judge said last Friday that the family would be breaking the law if they spirited Charlie out of the country without his permission, explaining, “It would be entirely wrong for him to be transferred without my being involved.” The hospital won’t even allow the Gard parents to remove Charlie from the hospital so he can die at home.
The move by Congress to help Gard is overdue; nearly three weeks ago, I wrote in this space that Congress should move to help Gard by naturalizing him. It may not help — the British system may be more concerned with forcing Gard’s parents to let the baby “die with dignity.” But good for Congress for at least attempting to change the math here.