Is it in Charlie Gard's best interest to die?
2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 389; Issue: 10082 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0140-6736(17)31204-7
ISSN1474-547X
Autores Tópico(s)Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
ResumoOn April 11, 2017, the High Court in London, UK, ruled that it is in Charlie Gard's best interests to stop treatment and die. High Court Judge Mr Justice Francis explained: “although the parents have parental responsibility, overriding control is vested in the court exercising its independent and objective judgment in the child's best interests”. 1 Judiciary of England and WalesDecision and short reasons to be released to the media in the case of Charlie Gard. https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/gard-press-summary-20170411.pdfDate: 2017 Google Scholar 9-month-old Charlie Gard has mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome and the court ruling, which is being challenged by his parents, 2 BBC NewsCharlie Gard: parents to appeal withdrawal of life support. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-39777073Date: May 2, 2017 Google Scholar allows withdrawal of life-support treatment. Charlie Gard's parents have raised funds for experimental treatment in the USA with nucleoside replacement therapy. In his ruling, 1 Judiciary of England and WalesDecision and short reasons to be released to the media in the case of Charlie Gard. https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/gard-press-summary-20170411.pdfDate: 2017 Google Scholar the judge referred to a previous judgment: 3 Wyatt v Portsmouth NHS Trust. 2005. EWHC 117. Google Scholar “There is a strong presumption in favour of a course of action which will prolong life, but that presumption is not irrebuttable. The term ‘best interests’ encompasses medical, emotional, and all other welfare issues.” In other judgments, life has been deemed not in the child's interests when it would be “intolerable to the child” and “bound to be full of pain and suffering”. 4 Re J (A Minor) (Wardship: Medical Treatment). 1990. 3 All ER 930. 1991. Fam 33 (CA). Google Scholar Beyond resources: denying parental requests for futile treatmentThe difficult case of the British boy Charlie Gard1 is the latest in a series of court cases in the UK when parents and doctors have disagreed about medical treatment for a child.2 Charlie Gard is a 9-month-old boy with the rare neurodegenerative disorder severe encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He is dependent on life support and has been in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, UK, since October, 2016. In such disputes, typically, doctors regard life support treatment as “futile” or “potentially inappropriate”. Full-Text PDF
Referência(s)