Terminally Ill Baby Dies After Life Support Was Withdrawn Against Parents Wishes
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LONDON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A terminally ill baby has died after British health authorities and courts denied her further treatment despite pleas from her Christian parents and Italy, a group supporting the family confirmed.
Christian Concern, who urged prayers, said Indi Gregory died in a hospice on Monday morning after her life support was withdrawn on Sunday against her parents’ wishes. “The 8-month-old baby, who was denied an offer of specialist treatment in Italy by the [National Health Service] NHS and UK Courts, was transferred from the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham to a hospice on Saturday with a security escort and police presence.
The 8-month-old baby had suffered brain damage as the result of a rare condition known as mitochondrial disease. Her doctors said her life support should be removed to allow her to die at a hospital or hospice. Her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, fought to continue life support in hopes that experimental treatments might prolong her life.
The Italian government had sought permission for her to be treated at Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome and even granted the baby Italian citizenship.
Repeated legal attempts, backed by Christian Concern, were rejected by British judges. In a statement early Monday, the baby’s father bitterly criticized the courts for even refusing to let her die at home. “Claire and I are angry, heartbroken, and ashamed,” Gregory said in comments monitored by Worthy News.
He added, “They tried to get rid of Indi without anybody knowing, but we made sure she would be remembered forever. I knew she was special from the day she was born.”
In the emotionally charged remarks, the father noted that his wife “Claire held her for her final breaths.”
ITALY SHOCKED
Italian Premier Giorgio Meloni, who was elected on a platform that supports traditional families, national identity, and the country’s Christian roots, paid her respects in a social media post, wishing the baby Godspeed. “We did everything we could, everything possible,” Meloni wrote. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre linked to Christian Concern, said: “Our hearts are broken for Dean and Claire and their family. Please hold them in your prayers at this time.”
She added that they tried to prevent the baby’s death till the last moment legally. “We have given our all, working day and night to support Indi’s parents in their weeks, days, and hours of need as they sought to protect their daughter and pursue justice,” Williams stressed.
“We have also worked to make known how important it is to uphold laws that wholly protect life and the rights of parents in the lives of their children.”
She added that, “Doctors cannot be compelled to treat a patient against their conscience, but neither should they be the ones to prevent parents who secure specialist medical treatment for their child elsewhere from accessing that help.”
The case is the latest in a series of legal battles in Britain between parents and doctors over the treatment of terminally ill children.
British judges have repeatedly sided with doctors in cases where they claim the best interests of the child take precedence, even if parents object to a proposed course of treatment.
COURT OF APPEAL
On Friday, Britain’s Court of Appeal Justice Peter Jackson said doctors caring for Indi and other critically ill children had been put in an “extremely challenging” position by the legal tussle.
He decried what he described as “manipulative litigation tactics” designed to frustrate orders made by judges after careful consideration.
However, Williams suggested that Britain must protect the lives of all its citizens, including those whose lives have just begun. “Justice is done in the light, and a truly compassionate society protects its most vulnerable.”
It is part of a broader European debate regarding when life should end.
In the Netherlands, for instance, the liberal-leftist Democrats ‘66 (D’66) have been among European parties seeking to expand euthanasia possibilities, including for those who feel they’ve come “to the end of a complete life to ask for euthanasia.”
And in neighboring Belgium, Elien Vervaet, 24, successfully asked to be euthanized this year after, saying in an interview she had “died out” after a severe depression that “had drained” her of all energy for six years.
Pro-life activists say “Europe’s death culture” will eventually lead to the deaths of the most vulnerable in society, including even babies, such as in Britain.
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