Indi Gregory: Baby dies after life support switched off following tragic legal battle | The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
from fne8w2ah@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 11:29
https://lemmy.world/post/8193745

From the same disease that also affected Charlie Gard and Archie Battersbee. 😭

#world

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 13 Nov 2023 11:30 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


A terminally ill baby has died during the night after her life support was removed following a lengthy legal battle between her parents and the NHS.

In a statement released through Christian Concern, Mr Gregory took aim at the NHS and the legal system for taking away his daughter’s “body and dignity”.

The NHS and the Courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life, but they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home where she belonged.

Indi, who had been born on 24 February, had to receive around-the-clock treatment for her condition, which prevented cells in the body from producing energy.

Last week, the Italian government had granted the infant citizenship to allow her to receive emergency treatment at the Bambino Gesu Paediatric Hospital in Rome.

Her parents had also failed to persuade the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, to overturn the treatment decision.


The original article contains 433 words, the summary contains 156 words. Saved 64%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

Candelestine@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 11:38 next collapse

Whoa… I’m no doctor, but when I read

“condition, which prevented cells in the body from producing energy”

that doesn’t sound fixable. I do remember what ATP is and why its important.

Kbobabob@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 11:53 collapse

A terminally ill baby has died

Then it goes to say…

The NHS and the Courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life

Ummm, i don’t think they did

they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home where she belonged

Ok, i can understand this one a little. What was the plan though, move her and the whole hospital room that’s keeping her alive to the home, then switch it off?

otter@lemmy.ca on 13 Nov 2023 11:55 next collapse

However, Mr Justice Peel concluded that a transfer to Italy would not be in her best interests, while three other appeal judges turned down the family’s permission to appeal a ruling which said that Indi’s life support could not be removed at home.

Doctors treating Indi had told the courts that the treatment she was receiving was futile and causing her pain, while her parents disagreed.

One of the specialists told the court: “She is a little girl we have tried to treat to the best of our abilities. The terrible reality is that she is dying.”

Also I have to say, the comments on that news article are surprisingly calm, caring, and reasonable. I’m used to there being a mess in every news article comments

pleasemakesense@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 12:23 next collapse

dont understand what the italian plan is, keep her on life support until an increasing number of epilectic siezures renders her braindead together with multiple organ failures till she dies?

Fisk400@feddit.nu on 13 Nov 2023 13:08 next collapse

Further examples of Christians being pro-life but not anti-suffering.

fne8w2ah@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 15:23 next collapse

See: 'murican pro-life lobby including republicunts

FlowVoid@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 17:33 next collapse

ALS is another terminal disease that causes suffering. Does the NHS also turn off the ventilators of ALS patients to end their suffering?

If not, what is NHS’s rationale for treating ALS patients differently?

Fisk400@feddit.nu on 13 Nov 2023 20:03 next collapse

Adults are capable of understanding and consenting to their own suffering and babies can not.

FlowVoid@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 22:08 collapse

Plenty of adults are incapable of providing consent, for example those with Down syndrome, severe autism, or Alzheimer’s disease. Normally, the parent/guardian, children, or siblings are responsible for providing consent when a patient is incapable of doing so.

If a severely autistic man were diagnosed with terminal cancer, do you think it would be appropriate for the NHS to ignore the decision of his parent/guardian and refuse to provide life-prolonging treatment in order to end his suffering?

Fisk400@feddit.nu on 14 Nov 2023 08:46 collapse

Doctors and the legal system decide these things and not anyone connected to the NHS but yes. There is a point in cancer treatment where it is more humane to just stop life prolonging treatment and just focus on pain relief. If the patient cant make that call someone else needs to and if the Guardian refuses then doctors and judges should step in.

AnyOldName3@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 22:26 collapse

Despite how it’s often framed, the NHS doesn’t get to make recommendations one way or the other in this kind of case. Once the patient’s doctors are no longer sure that it’s in their best interest to continue being kept alive, they make the legal system aware, and a court will take evidence from the patient (if they’re in a fit condition to give any, which they usually wouldn’t be), doctors, family members, relevant experts, and any other appropriate witnesses, to determine what is and isn’t in the patient’s best interest. One the court has made a decision (which might involve a lengthy appeals process if the family are upset about the initial decision), the NHS does what the court tells it to. If the patient is capable of experiencing anything other than pain, it’s unlikely that it’ll be in their best interest to die, so the court will order them to be kept alive.

It’s relatively common for anti-abortion and anti-state-funded-healthcare political campaign groups from the US to pay for expensive lawyers to argue in favour of keeping child patients alive and persuade the parents to keep appealing as upset parents saying the state killed their baby makes an evocative headline that can easily be pivoted to make the most merciful option look cruel and callous, and sway people’s votes.

There’s a chapter on this in one of The Secret Barrister’s books - I think the second one.

moistclump@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 22:13 next collapse

Pro birth. Not pro Life.

nous@programming.dev on 14 Nov 2023 02:11 collapse

At thins point I am starting to think they are more pro-suffering

Crackhappy@lemmy.world on 13 Nov 2023 13:19 collapse

Man this sucks so hard for the parents, I completely empathize. That being said, they are wrong, and regrettably there was nothing to be done but ease her passing quickly.