Cal Gaunt
Archie Battersbee cannot be moved to a hospice, according to the High Court, which has rejected a family application.
The 12-year-old’s mother, Hollie Dance, had previously said she wanted her son Battersbee – who has a ligature on the brain and has been comatose since April – moved from Royal London Hospital so he could ‘spend his last moments’ privately with family.
According to Sky News, the judge said of the application: “Archie’s best interests must remain at the core of any conclusions reached by this court,” after his position was described as ‘difficult and increasingly compromised’.
See Archie Battersbee’s parents discuss the legal battle below…
Medical experts said the risks involved in the transfer were ‘major and unpredictable,’ with which the judge agreed.
This morning, Battersbee’s mum told The Sun she will go to any length to keep him alive, saying: “If Archie is denied oxygen if and when life-support is removed I will continue to give him oxygen.
“I pray that the High Court will do the right thing. If they refuse permission for us to take him to a hospice and for him to receive palliative oxygen it will simply be inhumane and nothing about Archie’s dignity.
Archie Battersbee’s Mum Will Give ‘Mouth-To-Mouth’ If Life Support Ends
“The whole system has been stacked against us.
“Reform must now come through Charlie’s Law so that no parents have to go through this.
“We will fight to the end for Archie’s right to live.”
The European Court of Human Right (ECHR) rejected a family appeal on Wednesday requesting to delay any further changes to Battersbee’s treatment.
Despite his life support being scheduled to end at 11am on Thursday, a bid to have him moved into a hospice has extended his treatment – with the family wishing for Battersbee to ‘spend his last moments’ together with family in a more private setting.
The family told Sky News yesterday: “Archie is now obviously on palliative care so there is no reason whatsoever for him not to take his last moments at a hospice.”
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