Doctors told to continue Charlie Gard treatment for three weeks
Written by News on 20/06/2017
Terminally ill baby Charlie Gard will continue receiving treatment while judges deliberate on whether to let doctors turn off his life support.
Doctors have been told to continue providing treatment for three more weeks, to give judges at the European Court of Human Rights time to analyse the complex case.
Ten-month-old Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and brain damage, and is at the centre of a controversial court battle.
Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital think he has no chance of survival and want to end his life support treatment.
The boy’s parents want to take him to the US for experimental therapy.
A High Court judge ruled against Charlie’s family in April, a decision backed by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
But the issue has now been escalated to the human rights court.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates hope the judges in Strasbourg, France, will come to their aid.
A European Court of Human Rights spokeswoman said the case would get "priority".
"In light of the exceptional circumstances of this case, the court has already accorded it priority and will treat the application with the utmost urgency," she added.
Charlie has a severe mitochondrial condition and in January suffered what doctors describe as irreversible brain damage.
He has been in intensive care in hospital since October 2016.
(c) Sky News 2017: Doctors told to continue Charlie Gard treatment for three weeks
