The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was left in a comatose state after suffering brain damage have the High Council to intervene in a life-sustaining treatment struggle.
Archie Battersbee’s father and mother, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had asked Supreme Court justices to give them more time to continue their fight.
Ms Dance and Mr Battersbee want the United Nations to consider the case after losing life support treatment battles in the High Court and Court of Appeal in London.
They wanted Supreme Court justices to ban hospital bosses from discontinuing life-support treatment until they have had time to apply to the UN, and they filed a written application.
But three judges rejected their request on Thursday.
“Archie Battersbee’s parents filed an appeal with the Supreme Court earlier today,” a Supreme Court spokeswoman said in a statement.
“They asked for a postponement of the decision of the Court of Appeal to withdraw the life support treatment of their child.
“The court was aware of the urgency of this case and convened a panel of three judges who, in the usual way, considered the parties’ submissions ‘on paper’.
“After considering the careful judgment of the Court of Appeals … the panel has refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.”
Archie’s parents say the UN has a protocol that allows “individuals and families” to file complaints about violations of the rights of the disabled.
They say the UN could ask the British government to postpone the withdrawal of life support to Archie while a complaint is being investigated.
Three appeals court judges on Monday confirmed a ruling by a Supreme Court judge who ruled that doctors could lawfully stop treating Archie.
Lawyers representing Archie’s parents had asked the appeal judges to “delay” the termination of the hearing to allow time for an application to be considered in court. European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) in Strasbourg, France.
The appeal judges explained the termination of the trial and said Archie’s parents had until 2 p.m. Thursday to petition the European court.
The PA news agency understands that nothing in an order from the Court of Appeal judges would stop Archie’s parents from applying to the UN.
Archie’s parents are supported by a campaign group called the Christian Legal Center.
A spokesperson for the center has indicated that Archie’s parents would rather approach the UN than the European court.
“The UK has joined the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which gives individuals the right to complain to the UN Committee about any violations of the Convention,” he said. .
“The committee has previously criticized the UK system of allowing the withdrawal of life support from disabled people based on the court’s decision in their best interest rather than their own wishes.”
Lawyers representing Archie’s parents argued in their application to the Supreme Court that the Court of Appeal, by imposing a suspension that allows only an application under the ECHR, has unfairly subjected them to “pressure to international human rights procedure over the other”.
Judges heard that on April 7, Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head. She thinks he may have taken part in an online challenge.
The boy has not regained consciousness.
Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, believe he is brain stem dead and say continuing life-support treatment is not in his best interests.
The bosses of the hospital’s board, Barts Health NHS Trust, had asked for decisions about what medical steps would be in Archie’s best interests.
A Supreme Court judge, Ms. Justice Arbuthnot, initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.
But appeals court judges upheld his parents’ objection to Ms. Arbuthnot’s decisions, saying the evidence should be reviewed by another Supreme Court judge.