By Jill Lawless
Associated Press
The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday rejected a request by the family of a comatose British boy seeking to prevent a hospital from ending his treatment.
Archie Battersbee, 12, was found unconscious in his home on April 7 with a ligature over his head.
His parents believe that he was participating in an online challenge that had a tragic ending.
Doctors believe Archie has brainstem death and keeping him on life support is not in his best interest.
His parents, Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance, have unsuccessfully appealed to British courts to block Royal London Hospital's decision to disconnect the ventilator and stop other life-sustaining treatments.
Archie Battersbee, age 12.AP
The mother explained that the family's lawyers filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights based in Strasbourg, France, hours before the hospital planned to start withdrawing Archie's life support on Wednesday morning.
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The Court assured that
"it would not interfere with the decisions of the national courts
to allow the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment".
Earlier, Dance assured that the family "will not give up on Archie until the end."
She added that they were considering offers in Japan and Italy to treat him.
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"There are other countries that want to serve him and I think he should be allowed to go," Dance said.
“I promised Arch, as well as his father, that we would fight to the end, and that is exactly what we are going to do,” he added.
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The case is the latest in the UK to pit the judgment of doctors against the wishes of families.
In several lawsuits, including this one, the families have been backed by the religious pressure group, Christian Concern.
Archie Battersbee's mother, Hollie Dance, center, speaks to the media outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on July 25.AP
Under UK law, it is common for the courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree on a child's treatment.
In these cases, the rights of the child prevail over the right of the parents to decide what is best for the minors.
[She was in a coma for two years and when she woke up she accused her brother of having attacked her. Then he died in a mysterious way]
The UK Supreme Court said on Tuesday that Archie had "no prospect of significant recovery" and even with continued treatment he would die in the coming weeks from heart and organ failure.
The judges agreed with a lower court that
continued treatment "only serves to prolong his death."
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Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer at Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital treating Archie, said life-sustaining treatment would continue for now.
"As directed by the courts, we will work with the family to prepare for treatment withdrawal,
but will not make any changes to Archie's care until pending legal issues are resolved."
