According to a court ruling, a terminally ill baby may not die at home. The Court of Appeal in London ruled that the eight-month-old girl’s life support measures in a clinic or hospice should be terminated.
The child suffers from a condition called mitochondriopathy, a genetic disease that affects the nervous system and muscles and drains the body of energy.
Doctors against painful treatment
A court had previously ruled against the parents’ wishes that little Indi no longer needed life-support measures. According to doctors in Nottingham, the treatment is pointless and painful for the child.
A request to take little Indi to Italy for further treatment was also rejected. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melano even wanted to give the child Italian citizenship.
It also failed in Strasbourg
The parents also failed before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Judge Rupert Jackson said the girl, who was born in February, had been on a ventilator since early September. The treatment causes Indi ‘significant pain’ every day. She shows no interaction with her environment.
The case is reminiscent of similar disputes involving terminally ill children.
The legal debate surrounding twelve-year-old Archie, who suffered serious brain damage in a domestic accident, caused a particular stir. The boy, who was subsequently brain dead, had his devices turned off in August 2022 after the Supreme Court ruled against the parents’ wishes.
Financial pressure to shut down machines
In Britain, judges often decide what is in the best interests of the patient, based on the recommendation of medical professionals.
The NHS, under severe financial pressure, tends to withdraw life support at an early stage.
Source: Krone
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