According to the judge, for Archie Battersbee there is nothing more to be done. It is necessary to “unplug”, stop the treatments that keep him alive. The April 7 the 12 year old from Southend, Essex, England, was found unconscious at his home, with a rope around the neck, at the top of a flight of stairs. A domestic accident whose dynamics have not yet been clarified.
Archie was immediately transported to the Royal London Hospital, but his condition immediately appeared desperate. Brain activity was minimized and, by that time, Archie was kept alive thanks to artificial ventilation. Since then, he has never regained consciousness.
The Royal Hospital, as in similar cases, turned to the Court of Justice. The judges, based on the criterion of child best interesthave authorized the hospital to stop artificial respiration, believing that the hopes of recovery are nil.
According to the ruling, Archie “died at noon on May 31, 2022, shortly after the MRI performed that day. Irreversible cessation of brain stem function is definitive. I authorize medical professionals at Royal London Hospital to cease mechanical ventilation to Archie Battersbee; to extubate him; to interrupt the administration of drugs and not to attempt any cardio or pulmonary resuscitation when cardiac output ceases or respiratory effort ceases “. And again: «If Archie remains on mechanical ventilation, the probable outcome for him is sudden death and the prospects for recovery are nil. He takes no pleasure in staying alive and his brain damage is unrecoverable. His situation will not improve ».
But Archie’s mom Hollie Dance said she was “devastated and extremely disappointed “by the sentence:” We intend to appeal and we will not give up. ” And again: «I am disgusted that the hospital and the judge did not take into account the wishes of the family. I don’t think Archie has been given enough time. Her heart is still beating, she shook my hand and, as her mother, I know she is still there. Until this is God’s decision, I will not accept that he has to go. Miracles have happened, there have been people cured of brain death. This case raises important moral, legal and medical questions about when a person should be considered dead. ‘
Source: Vanity Fair
