Archie Battersbee’s parents have been given a last minute lifeline in their struggle to keep their son alive after the United Nations issued a warrant to prevent his life support from being removed.
The 12-year-old’s father and mother, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had asked the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNRPD) to overturn the British doctors’ decision to withdraw the schoolboy’s mechanical intervention. to undo.
The ‘devastated’ couple lost battles in both the High Court and Court of Appeal in London where they asked doctors to keep his treatment going.
His family had argued that stopping treatment would violate the UK’s obligations under Articles 10 and 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and Article 6 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. the rights of children.
Today, after the news was announced, Ms Dance revealed her gratitude for having another chance to keep her son alive.
She said: ‘I am so grateful to the UN for their response and for acting so quickly for my son.
‘We’ve had so much stress and anxiety; we are already broken and not knowing what was going to happen was unbearable. Getting this news now means everything.
“This is the first time this has ever happened in the history of this inhumane system in the UK.
“There’s been so many ups and downs, but we’ve put on the full armor of God, gone into battle, and now we’ve given Archie time, that’s all we’ve ever asked for.”
Paul Battersbee and Hollie dance outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Friday. they go to the United Nations to try to keep their son Archie Battersbee on a ventilator
Doctors have been given permission to shut down Archie’s life support machine, but his parents try to continue the fight. Pictured is Archie in the hospital
Yesterday the High Council rejected an appeal asking for medics to be banned from turning off his life-support machine until they can appeal.
They have since held talks with bosses at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where he is being treated, in an effort to get assurances that this will not happen while they rely on the UNRPD.
Archie’s parents had argued that the UNRPD protocol allows “individuals and families” to file complaints about disability rights violations.
The UK has joined the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which allows the UNRPD to ask the UK government to delay the withdrawal of life support while a complaint is being investigated.
The family argues that stopping treatment would violate the UK’s obligations under Articles 10 and 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and Article 6 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. rights of children.
When they launched their last emergency call today, Ms Dance said: ‘Words cannot describe how devastated we are.
“The pressure put on us from the start to rush through the process of ending Archie’s life was a disgrace. ‘
All we’ve ever asked for is more time. The urgency of the hospital and the courts is inexplicable if other parties are happy that we have more time.
“I don’t think there’s anything ‘dignified’ about planning Archie’s death. For me, this would be the most traumatic outcome.
“Parents need support, not pressure. It’s exhausting what we’ve been through.
“We shouldn’t have to fight endlessly in the hospital for what we think is right for Archie.
Archie, pictured, was found in April with a ligature over his head and has not regained consciousness
Archie with his mother Hollie Dance (left), brother Tom Summers and sister Lauren Summers
“However, top judges have told us that this is the law, if it is, the law must change.
“We will continue to fight for Archie, we will not give up and now we are waiting for the response from the UNRPD.”
Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Center that supports the family, said: ‘A system with ‘a child’s best interests’ really at its heart would never force the child’s parents into such an ordeal.
‘A civilized system would cooperate kindly with the parents, with respect for life, faith and liberty.
“This case addresses fundamental legal issues about defining death.
“Weakening end-of-life protections, with humanistic concepts of ‘best to die’ and ‘dignity in death’ at the forefront, will weaken that protection.
“We continue to pray for, support and stand by Archie’s parents who have had no choice but to turn to the UN as they continue to fight for Archie’s life.”
Judges heard that on April 7, Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head.
She thinks he entered 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.