The death of Charlie Gard, a tragic situation, unusually this situation has had a lot of informed comment as well as emotional hyperbole and self-interested hijackers. I have read some but not all of the available comment. I cannot imagine the pain that the parents will be suffering but it is clear that their pain was extended by American experts making unsubstantiated and in the end empty claims of a treatment that would make Charlie better (his mum seemed to hope cured).
For all the journalistic spin and rhetoric and claims that this is a landmark. The medical details came clear in the final hearing. Charlie’s brain damage was catastrophic and never looked at in detail by the American Doctor who did not take up an offer to come and examine Charlie for 6 months and his claim of new research was bogus, in effect a ploy to gain a human guinea pig.
We have as a basic principle that the legal system protects a child from harm even from its parents’ unintentional harm. That being physical harm, pain or neglect. We all see this as easy for paedophiles and neglect, also despite it becoming extremely upsetting, when this is at odds with religious or other beliefs, blood transfusions for Jehovah’s witnesses, FGM for traditional west Africans, our society seems to accept intervention must happen. But when we have a loving western couple who only want the best for their child and feel that trial treatments must be tried as their child is not as poorly as it is and miracles might (will) happen then; we struggle to see that any more treatment is abuse and has no chance of major improvement. I am sure there are cases where such a challenge would have a greater chance of success this one has become increasingly tragic thanks to ill-informed people (including the Pope and The Donald) applying their irrelevant views on Human life. As Charlie was already on artificial life support with no cognitive function how can the Pope comment and The Donald needs to sort the American care system out before his ideas should be attended to. False hope has extended the grief of the Gard’s and I can only feel sad and sympathetic. Also in the k knowledge that this will morph into a campaign for pro-lifers when it was never about state euthanasia, austerity or socialism.
God rest Charlie Gard and give his parents peace