The 11-month old terminally British baby whose parents were in a legal battle for rights to transfer him to the US for experimental treatment have decided to end their fight.
“It’s too late for Charlie,” the family’s lawyer said about the legal battle over the experimental treatment. “The damage has been done.”
Since March, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, parents to baby Charlie Gard, battled with the hospital caring for their son.
The medical staff assessed that Little Gard’s genetic deformity that he was born with was irreversible. The parents were not willing to give up on their son and sought to transfer their infant to the United States to receive experimental treatment pioneered by Dr. Michio Hirano, a neurology expert from Columbia Medical Center in New York.
The Great Ormond Street Hospital argued that the infant was in pain and further treatment would only increase his suffering. They asked the court for permission to pull the plug. In Great Britain, children’s rights are separate from their parents and it is common for courts to intervene when the wishes of parents and the medical team diverge.
Read more about the case here
photo: Getty