News and Commentary

Parents Of U.K. Baby Barred From Potential Life-Saving Treatment In U.S. Prepare For Son’s Mandated Death

   DailyWire.com

Per Orwellian U.K. court rulings, ten-month-old baby Charlie Gard was set to have his life support removed on Friday, but due to a heartbreaking plea from the sick boy’s parents, they will now have more time, an undisclosed amount, to say goodbye to their child before his government-mandated death sentence.

“Charlie suffers from a mitochondrial disease that destroys the muscles and the brain,” explained Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro, on Thursday. “There was no available treatment in the United Kingdom, and so Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, raised $1.6 million to fly him to the United States for an experimental treatment. But the hospital argued that the treatment wouldn’t help Charlie, and would prolong his suffering, and that they knew better than the parents who had to suffer through his illness and care for him every single day. Thus, the hospital argued that it would be in Charlie’s best interest to die.”

The European Court on Human Rights sided with the hospital and determined Charlie’s parents were barred from bringing their ill baby to the United States for such potentially life-saving treatment. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children would instead kill Charlie by withdrawing all life support, the court ruled. Charlie has to “die with dignity.”

On Thursday, Gard and Yates “accused their son’s doctors of ‘rushing’ them and preventing all their family saying goodbye this weekend in a video message for their thousands of supporters,” notes The Daily Mail. Not only were the parents denied the right to continue to fight for their son’s life, but the hospital wouldn’t allow them to take the boy home to die, or even go to hospice, they said. He must die in the hospital, they were told.

After Charlie’s parents’ initial request to have more time with their child was rejected, they were finally told the hospital had “agreed to a give us a bit more time with Charlie.” That amount of time has not been disclosed, despite the parents’ claim in their video that Charlie is still fighting and “stable.”

“We have been in talks today with Great Ormond Street and they have agreed to give us a little bit more time with Charlie,” said Yates.

“We are really grateful for all the support from the public at this extremely difficult time,” she said.

Within the pleading video, which was posted before the hospital agreed to give the parents more time with their baby before his death, the two parents, amid tears, thanked the public for their support and blasted the “heartless” doctor denying their simple request.

“We promised our little boy every single day that we would take him home,” they explained.

“We want to give him a bath at home, put him in a cot which he has never slept in but we are now being denied that. We know what day our son is going to die but don’t get a say in how that will happen,” said Gard.

“Charlie will die tomorrow knowing that he was loved by thousands – thank you to everyone for all your support,” the parents said, thanking those who’ve donated and supported Charlie, dubbed “Charlie’s Army.”

A friend of the family told The Daily Mail that the parents’ plea via video likely changed the hospital’s mind.

“It seems the video Connie and Chris released yesterday made the hospital reconsider,” said the source.

“After everything the family have been through they deserve this. To be able to prepare properly to let Charlie go has already given the parents much comfort,” the source added.

“Gard and Yates, who are in their 30s, launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for doctors’ bills in the US. It reached a £1.2m target before the initial high court trial and has now topped £1.3m, attracting more than 83,000 donations,” reports The Guardian. The parents say the money will go to a charity which supports Charlie’s disease since he never got “his chance.”

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Parents Of U.K. Baby Barred From Potential Life-Saving Treatment In U.S. Prepare For Son’s Mandated Death