The mum of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee has spoken out following Friday (15 July)'s news that a High Court judge ruled that her son should be allowed to die - a decision she said ‘enforces death’ on the family.
Following Judge Mr Justice Hayden's conclusion that ending treatment was in Archie’s best interest, his mum Hollie Dance has vowed not to ‘betray’ her son and said she will seek permission to appeal.
Hollie said: “This ruling is a crushing blow to Archie and his family. With all due respect to Mr Justice Hayden, it is not in Archie’s best interests to die.”
She continued: “We disagree with the idea of dignity in death. Enforcing it on us and hastening his death for that purpose is profoundly cruel.
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“It is for God to decide what should happen to Archie, including if, when and how he should die.”
Hollie added: “As long as Archie is fighting for his life, I cannot betray him. Until Archie gives up, I won’t give up.
“I am living every parent’s worst nightmare. There must be change in the NHS and in the court system before another family has to go through what we have."
Archie’s dad, Paul Battersbee, added: “He needs more time."
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Archie suffered brain damage at his home on 7 April when his mum found him unconscious and with a ligature over his head.
Last month, Archie’s parents appealed for their son to be given continued life-support treatment, but today, both parents were devastated to learn their appeal was unsuccessful.
Hayden decided that ending treatment was in Archie’s best interests, describing what had happened to him as a ‘tragedy of immeasurable dimensions’.
He said: “There is unfortunately no treatment possible to reverse the damage that has been caused to Archie’s brain. There can be no hope at all of recovery.”
Another High Court judge, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, had earlier decided that Archie was dead, but Court of Appeal judges said evidence should be reviewed as part of his parents’ appeal.
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Doctors treating Archie said continued treatment is not in his best interests and should end, however, Archie’s parents disagree, saying his heart is still beating.
Insisting that continued life support treatment is not in Archie’s best interests, doctors at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel - where Archie is being treated - told judges the child is ‘brain-stem dead’.
Mr Justice Hayden said medical evidence was ‘compelling and unanimous’ and painted a ‘bleak’ picture.
The judge added that evidence showed Archie had suffered a ‘significant injury’ to ‘multiple areas’ of his brain and had not ‘regained awareness at any time’.
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