The parents of a critically ill baby on Thursday lost their battle to overturn a British court order allowing her to die if her condition seriously worsens and her breathing stops.
High Court Justice Sir Mark Hedley upheld his ruling in October giving doctors permission not to resuscitate Charlotte Wyatt, now 18 months old, in such circumstances.
Hedley said that if the baby stops breathing, all treatment up to but not including incubation and ventilation will be in the baby’s best interests, ”but nothing further”.
”I am quite clear that it would not be in Charlotte’s best interests to die in the course of futile aggressive treatment,” he said as the baby’s parents Darren and Debbie Wyatt held hands at the back of the London courtroom.
Charlotte, born three months premature, has severe breathing and neurological problems, and lives in a plastic box on an oxygen feed. Doctors have argued that she would have ”a terrible quality of life” if she survives.
However, Hedley, who is a devout Christian like the baby’s parents, said his order is not open-ended and remains subject to review.
The judge said he is happy the child has survived the winter and she can now respond to loud noise and track the movement of a colourful toy, compared with October when she hardly responded and required almost constant sedation.
He said her life can no longer be described as intolerable, but added that he is convinced by the majority medical opinion and concluded she remains ”a terminally ill child”.
She still has to be provided with oxygen half of the time and will only be able to return home if oxygen support is reduced to 30% or lower.
Charlotte’s chronic respiratory disease is still expected to be fatal and her neurological condition is as bad as it can be. Her head is still the size of that of a new-born baby and there has been no brain growth.
Fed continuously through a tube, she is seriously undernourished.
Charlotte is unlikely to survive a major crisis and, even if she does, her condition will deteriorate to a point where her life will be intolerable, the judge said.
She will probably not return to her present improved condition, he concluded. — Sapa-AFP