The European Court of Human Rights has refused an application by the parents of Archie Battersbee to postpone the withdrawal of his life support. Archie's mum earlier vowed to fight for her son “til the bitter end” as the family waited to hear from court following the last-ditch bid to postpone the withdrawal of his life support.
The 12-year-old has been in a coma since he was found unconscious in April. He is being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments, at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, London.
His parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, submitted the application to the Strasbourg-based court just a couple of hours before Barts Health NHS Trust was expected to withdraw Archie’s life support.
Speaking outside the hospital earlier on Wednesday (August 3), Ms Dance said: “I am hoping that they will step in and give Archie a right to live. I think that he deserves that.”
She said two countries have come forward to offer her son treatment, adding: “If this country can’t treat him or they’re not willing to treat him, where is the harm in allowing him to go to another country?”
She said the offers of help have come from Tokyo, in Japan, and Italy. Ms Dance said she is “running on empty”, adding: “Yesterday was a very down day for me. People that know me know I won’t stay down for long, especially when it comes to fighting for my son’s life.
“I promised Arch, same with his dad, that we will fight ’til the bitter end, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to fight for the right for my son to live.”
