Archie Battersbee parents requests to Supreme Court over life-support withdrawal

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02nd Aug, 2022. 06:57 pm
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Archie Battersbee was discovered unconscious at his home in Southend, Essex, on April 7.
12-year-old has never regained consciousness and doctors believe he is brain-stem dead.

His parents petitioned the Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeal’s verdict.

Archie Battersbee’s parents have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on the day his life support was to be terminated.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal ordered that the 12-year-life-sustaining old’s therapy should end at 12:00 BST on Tuesday.

His parents have petitioned the Supreme Court to review the verdict.

Archie was discovered unconscious at his home in Southend, Essex, on April 7.

He has never regained consciousness, and his mother, Hollie Dance, fears he may have suffered brain injury while participating in an online competition.

Doctors treating him have stated that he is “very probable” brain-stem dead and that terminating life support is in his best interests.

Archie’s “every physical function is now sustained by artificial means,” according to a prior High Court judgement.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman said in a statement:”They [Archie’s parents] are seeking a stay of the Court of Appeal’s decision to allow withdrawal of life-support treatment from their child.”

She stated that this was done to give the United Nations Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities more time to consider its complaint that removal of life-sustaining therapy was a “breach of the convention.”

“The Supreme Court is aware of the urgency of this matter,” she said, adding that a panel of three justices would consider the application.

After making the appeal to the Supreme Court, Ms Dance said: “I know Archie’s still with us.

“He’s very much there, he’s progressing in so many ways.”

Archie’s care was set to finish on Monday at 14:00 at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, but the government urged judges to examine a request from a UN committee to continue treatment.

Sir Andrew McFarlane, Lady Justice King, and Lord Justice Moylan, President of the Family Division, ordered a short delay in discontinuing life-sustaining medications until Tuesday to allow Archie’s parents to consider any other applications they wish to make.

Sir Andrew stated at the hearing, “In short, his system, organs, and, eventually, his heart are in the process of shutting down.”

While the judges on Monday refused to grant permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against their verdict, Archie’s parents, Ms Dance and Paul Battersbee, have urged the Supreme Court justices to consider their application for permission to appeal directly.

Archie Battersbee parents requests to Supreme Court over life-support withdrawal

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