Charlie Gard: Mother of terminally ill baby vows to keep fighting against High Court ruling to switch off life support

Charlie Gard's parents want to take him to the US for pioneering treatment
PA
Francesca Gillett15 April 2017

The mother of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard has vowed to keep fighting despite a High Court ruling stating his life support should be withdrawn.

Little eight-month-old Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, is at the centre of a dispute over whether life support treatment should be continued.

Medical experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London say Charlie should be moved into palliative care but his west London parents want to be allowed to take him to the US to try a new type of treatment.

A crowdfunding campaign to pay for the treatment has received more than £1,270,000 in donations, £30,000 short of its target.

Parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard with Charlie
PA

In the court judgment on Tuesday, Mr Justice Francis told Ms Yates and Charlie's father, Chris Gard, it was with the "heaviest of hearts" but with "complete conviction" that the youngster should be allowed to die with dignity.

But mother Connie Yates, told the Daily Mail: “If we thought there was absolutely no hope we would not have fought for this.

"But if there is even the slimmest chance of a treatment working, and the doctor in the US told us he believes there is, what loving parent would not take that chance?"

Charlie's parents want to appeal the High Court ruling in favour of Great Ormond Street experts
PA

Despite the verdict, the couple, who are in their 30s, want to continue their fight and, if possible, appeal the ruling - an option being assessed by their solicitor.

Ms Yates said pursuing all options for Charlie's treatment was not a selfish act "because we can't bear to let him go".

"It is because if we did not fight for this chance, we will have to live with the 'what if?' forever. It's that 'what if?' which for us would be so unbearable," she said.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates, the parents of eight-month-old Charlie Gard, arrive at The Royal Courts of Justice in London for the verdict.
PA

Doctors say they will continue to provide life support treatment until appeal decisions have been made.

Mr Justice Francis granted the hospital's application after analysing the case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London over three days.

Mr Justice Francis heard that Charlie, who was born on August 4, had a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.

Specialists in the US had offered a therapy called nucleoside. But the judge said experts were agreed that the treatment could not reverse Charlie's structural brain damage.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in