The parents of terminally ill English boy Archie Battersbee want the twelve-year-old to be taken to a hospice to die and have applied for it. In a seemingly last-minute attempt to influence her son’s fate, a petition was filed in the High Court in London on Thursday morning.
Archie has been in a coma since April. In an accident at home in Southend-on-Sea, he suffered serious brain damage – possibly during an internet test of courage. The treating doctors see no chance of recovery and want to end the life-prolonging measures. The UK’s highest court had backed the doctors’ decision to let Archie die. This is in the boy’s best interest. A final appeal by the parents to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg was also unsuccessful.
Family fights to the bitter end
Archie’s mother Hollie Dance was desperate at the time. “This is the end,” she told reporters in London. Dance accused the clinic of breaking its promise that Archie could be placed in hospice in a “worst case” legal scenario. With what will probably be their last proposal, the family wants to ensure that Archie dies in a quieter environment than in a hospital room. The family is also currently considering offers from Japan and Italy to treat the boy, the mother told Britain’s Daily Mail.
Switching too risky?
“Archie is in such an unstable condition that there is significant risk even if he is turned in his hospital bed, which should be done as part of his ongoing care,” the hospital operator said. “This means that in his condition, an ambulance transfer to an entirely different environment would most likely hasten the premature decline that the family wants to avoid.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
