Archie Battersbee's parents appeal to the Supreme Court to keep their son alive

Britain's Supreme Court has heard an appeal from the family of a brain-damaged 12-year-old boy whose life-sustaining treatment was due to end on Tuesday.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
02 August 2022 Tuesday 09:48
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Archie Battersbee's parents appeal to the Supreme Court to keep their son alive

Britain's Supreme Court has heard an appeal from the family of a brain-damaged 12-year-old boy whose life-sustaining treatment was due to end on Tuesday. Archie Battersbee's parents want the judges to block a lower court ruling authorizing the Royal London Hospital to turn off the boy's life support.

The High Court maintains that it considers hearing the full appeal. He said he was "aware of the urgency of this matter." Archie's treatment was due to end at noon on Tuesday, but the hospital is expected to await the Supreme Court's decision.

Archie was found unconscious in his home on April 7. His parents believe he may have been participating in an internet challenge gone wrong. Doctors believe Archie is brain dead and say continuing life support treatment is not in his best interest.

Several British courts have agreed. The family has appealed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and wants the withdrawal of treatment to be suspended while the committee examines the case.

"We don't understand what the rush is and why all our wishes are denied," said Archie's mother, Hollie Dance. The case is the latest in the UK to have faced trial by doctors against the families' wishes.

On several occasions, including this one, the families have been backed by a religious pressure group, Christian Concern. Under British law, it is common for the courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree about a child's treatment. In such cases, the rights of the child take precedence over the right of the parents to decide what is best for their offspring.