In fact, the hospital where the British boy is located had already wanted to end his treatment yesterday morning. That fell through because his parents, who are waging a legal battle to keep their child alive, left at the last minute European Court of Human Rights stepped. However, that court did not want to intervene, British media reported last night.
The parents were given until 9 a.m. this morning to ask the Supreme Court to move Archie to a hospice. If that were not done in time, the boy would be taken off the ventilator at 11 a.m. UK time – 12 noon our time. Doctors call Archie’s outlook “nil” and his condition “unstable.” Transferring to another location, even a short distance away, would represent a ‘significant risk’.
The parents hope that he can still be transferred to the palliative care institution. According to Archie’s mother, the hospice has indicated that it wants to admit the boy. The legal battle for Archie’s life has been closely followed by international media for days. The boy was seriously injured when he allegedly participated in an online challenge in which participants deliberately knocked out unconscious.
A lower court had already decided on Monday that the treatment of the child could be stopped. The court ruled that the life support treatment could be terminated. The parents then went to the Supreme Court, but that did not matter. According to the parents, their son is making good progress.
The family wants to keep going for the boy’s chances until the end. “We won’t give up on Archie until the end,” his mother said. It is not yet known when the court will rule on moving the boy to a hospice. Pending the verdict, the treatment of the 12-year-old boy is according to Sky News continued.