By Matthew Roscoe • 02 August 2022 • 18:00
UPDATE 6 pm (August 2) – The appeal with the Supreme Court from the parents of Archie Battersbee has failed.
The ruling from the Supreme Court said it was “not persuaded that there is an arguable case that the Court of Appeal has so erred and accordingly refuses permission to appeal to this Court”.
They said that the Court of Appeal “made the correct decision”.
The ruling said it was “not clear that Archie has any more extensive rights in international law” nor was the decision to end treatment a “breach of international law”.
“The panel reaches this conclusion with a heavy heart,” the ruling said.
ORIGINAL 5.31 pm (August 2) – The parents of Archie Battersbee submitted a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court to stop their son’s life support machine from being switched off.
The case of Archie Battersbee will now be considered again after the family launched an appeal against the decision made on Monday, August 1.
Speaking after the noon deadline was pushed back, Archie’s mum Hollie Dance said: “I know Archie’s still with us.
“He’s showing very different signs to what the clinicians are actually putting over to the courts.
“He’s very much there, he’s progressing in so many ways.”
She added: “We are having to battle over every decision with the hospital.
“There is nothing dignified in how we are being treated as a family in this situation.
“We do not understand what the rush is and why all of our wishes are being denied.
“We pray for an encouraging response from the Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court confirmed that they had received the confirmed they had received ‘a Permission to Appeal (PTA) application in the case of Archie’.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of the urgency of this matter.
“A panel of three justices will consider the application for permission to appeal ‘on paper’, in the usual way.”
On Monday, August 1, a last-ditch effort to stop the life support of Archie Battersbee from being switched off failed after a Court of Appeal hearing favoured doctors over the 12-year-old boy’s family.
The father of Archie Battersbee, who was placed on life support over three months ago, had been fighting to stop doctors from turning it off and declaring him dead.
On July 25, the UK High Court refused to sanction any further delay in switching off the life support, despite both parents disputing the decision. Archie’s father was taken ill and rushed to the hospital at the time prior to the ruling being made.
Archie was due to have his life support switched off on Monday, August 1 at 2 pm but the UK government stepped in to ask the court to reconsider switching off the life support machine after Archie’s mother Hollie Dance wrote to the Health Secretary.
However, despite the last-minute appeal, the court ruled that the teenager was ‘brain-stem dead’ in accordance with the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London and that no further treatment would help the young boy.
Archie was found unconscious on April 7.
According to Ms Dance, Archie may have lost consciousness after participating in an online challenge at his home in Southend, Essex.
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Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
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