UK high court pulls plug on 23 month old against parents wishes (who's side are you on?)

I'm posting this story because online I'm finding support for the hospital from parents and non-parents as a mother I couldn't imagine having my rights torn away and a hospital choosing when my child dies and not allowing me to seek further treatment..so where do you stand?

ALFIE Evans has been at the centre of a life support battle between his parents, health officials and the British justice system for several months.

The tot’s life support was switched off after his family lost the most recent of a series of legal appeals. Here is what you need to know about the heartbreaking case.

Who is Alfie Evans?

Alfie Evans has been living in a coma for well over a year after being struck down with a mystery illness.

The 23-month-old missed numerous developmental milestones in his first seven months, his family said.

He started making “jerking, seizure-like movements” and was taken to the doctors, but his parents were told he was “lazy and a late developer”, the family claim.

But he caught a chest infection that caused seizures and was placed on life support at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool in December 2016.

What do we know about his mystery illness?

Alfie, who was born on May 9, 2016, is in a “semi-vegetative state” and has a degenerative neurological condition doctors had not definitively diagnosed.

Some experts believe he might have a mitochondrial condition – the same as Charlie Gard.

After he was admitted to Alder Hey, his parents were told he wasn’t going to make it – but he fought back to beat the infection and started breathing on his own.

But he caught another chest infection and had to go back on a ventilator when he began having more chronic seizures.

Alfie is described as being in a semi-vegetative state and doctors at Alder Hey have said it is in his best interest to stop mechanical ventilation.

What is mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome?

Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDS) refers to a group of disorders that cause affected tissues to suffer from a significant drop in mitochondrial DNA.

The DNA is found in the mitochondria of cells – an organelle found in most cells in which respiration and energy production occur.

This means, as in Charlie’s case, that sufferers do not get energy to their muscles, kidneys and brain.

MDS causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. The condition is rare and Charlie is said to be one of only 16 people to have ever had the condition.

MDS is almost always fatal in babies and young children, although some sufferers have made it into their teenage years.

There is currently no cure but some treatments have shown a reduction in symptoms.

One of these is Nucleoside bypass therapy.

Parents Kate James and Tom Evans have fought to keep their little boy Alfie Evans alive

Who are Alfie’s parents?

Alfie Evan’s parents are Tom Evans and Kate James, both in their 20s and from Liverpool.

The couple have consistently placed pressure on the justice system in a bid to keep their son alive.

Tom Evans has been particularly vocal in speaking out in public, slamming every one of the court rulings.

The couple appear to be religious, with Tom citing the 10 commandments in a court case, reminding the court “thou shalt not kill”.

Writing after judges at the European Court of Rights rejected the case, Tom said that he and his partner were “in bits, distraught, in pain”, and the decision meant their son was “about to be murdered”.

On April 20, Tom and Kate suffered their latest blow when the Supreme Court dismissed the most recent legal bid to keep Alfie alive.

They had taken their battle to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal agreed with Alder Hey that Alfie “could not be saved” and that it would be “unkind” and “futile” to continue treatment.

They have already lost a previous challenge at the Court of Appeal and failed to have the decision overturned at the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.

Speaking outside Alder Hey hospital on Friday April 13, Tom said he had been told he could face prison if he removes Alfie from hospital, adding that there are police officers on the ward to stop him taking his son.

Following one appeal, Lord Justice Davis, ruled that Alfie’s life support must be turned off and told lawyers that doctors had agreed that there was “no hope”.

He said: “We cannot have a kind of legal Groundhog Day where you come back again and again and again on the same point.”

Supporters blocked the road outside Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital and attempted to storm the building after the the European Court of Human Rights rejected Alfie’s parents appeal.

Alfie’s life support was turned off at 9.17pm on the evening of Monday, April 23.

However, the following morning his dad said that the little boy was still battling on and breathing unassisted hours later.

The parents are now looking to challenge the High Court ruling that prevents them from taking him to Italy for treatment.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/4312535/alfie-evans-parents-tom-evans-katie-james-alder-hey-hospital/amp/#ampshare=https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4312535/alfie-evans-parents-tom-evans-katie-james-alder-hey-hospital/