Why ?

[Workingman]

I cannot be angry with the parents, but nor can I empathise with them too much.

From the second he was born Charlie has had no "life". He has been kept 'alive', for want of a better word, by modern technology. Without it not even the love of his parents would have seen him this far.

Had he been sent to the States, and survived the journey, the experimental treatment would have turned him into nothing more than a human medical guinea pig. I wonder if rent-a-mob have taken that into account when threatening those who have given their all to look after him, care for him, and even come to love him in their own way, through his time with them?

And I sincerely hope that his parents, Connie and Chris, can one day come to accept that nothing they could have done would have saved the son they loved so much.

RIP little one.

[AliasAggers]

I started this thread, so I'll attempt to finish it.

Thinking it over, perhaps it would have been better if the poor little fellow had been stillborn.
It would have saved him from a short and painful life, and his parents would not have suffered
the difficulties and traumas that have ensued.

May the little one now rest in peace, and may his parents, in due course, get over the trauma.

[AliasAggers]

My attempt to conclude this thread has proved to be unsuccessful.

I am delighted to see now that The Pope agrees with me, and has offered to have
the little boy transferred to the Vatican Hospital.

(Now you can tell him he's wrong)

[Diflower]

That's not home, what's the difference, a hospital close to home or a hospital in a foreign country, what's the point in that?

[Kaz]

The Pope is wrong in this instance, so is Trump who has also stuck his big orange beak in.

This poor little boy is irrepperably brain damaged and suffering. He needs to be let go, in peace

[TheOstrich]

Baby Charlie will have absolutely no quality of life should he survive, as I understand it. As much as I am pro-life, the decisions taken have to be right and have to be humane. Like Kaz, I think both the Pope and Trump are wrong in this instance, and it woud be more merciful to let Charlie peacefully slip away.

Frank mentioned above "being kept alive by modern technology". I think there are times when we have to accept that modern technology is not a panacea, or the be all and end all of human existence.

[miasmum]

Dont even get me started on this. I was going to post yesterday about my apoplectic rage with the pope and Trump, but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. You have woken them up Aggers, as you have every right to do, but boy would I love to tell Mr Pope and Mr Trump they are wrong.

How dare he say no one has the right to end a life. Charlie isn't alive, he is being kept alive artificially by a ventilator.

I just wish someone, anyone would put Charlie first instead of being determined to prove Great Ormond Street wrong. What makes the Vatican hospital so flipping amazing??????

oh don't, I shan't sleep now I am all angry again

[meriad]

the reply to the pope should be to take this poor lad off life support and if the good Lord above wants this child to live then he will....

I'm with you on this Shell - infuriated beyond words. What utter selfish &^%$£^& (not allowed to swear on here) people that think they can play God (and I'm not religious at all)

That poor poor poor boy; my heart just breaks for him

[Workingman]

This is a piece by Dr Ravi Jayaram who is a consultant paediatrician writing for the Independent.

Charlie's story has been all over both traditional and social media in the last few weeks. For the few of you who may have missed the details, he is a baby with a very rare genetic condition. The cells of his body can’t use energy appropriately, leading to his organs and muscles being unable to function properly. For the last eight months he has been kept alive by technology on the intensive care unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) requiring round the clock intensive care. There is no known proven cure for his condition but at the moment he is stable and could, in theory, be kept alive for an indefinite period of time.

The whole article is here, it is well worth a read.

If you don't have the time to read everything after the opening then scroll down to:

In situations such as this, the media have a field day. The medics are inevitably portrayed as cold-hearted self-appointed deities whilst the families are depicted as the victims of an uncaring health establishment that only cares about money and itself. It is a scenario that sells papers and appeals to that most basic human emotion of compassion.

and read on.

[TheOstrich]

The latest is that a number of medical experts (possibly being led by that Catholic children's hospital in Rome) have intervened and said that there is merit in trying a new treatment. They have said normally they would try it out on mice first, but there isn't time, so they think the infant should be given the treatment come what may.

So Great Ormond Street have gone back to the Courts for another ruling. Who can blame them? they are on a hiding to nothing now, whatever decisions they take.

Charlie's mother has stated today that in her view, her baby after treatment can finish up leading a normal life. This currently flies in the face of all medical opinion. The word "delusional" was openly mentioned on the BBC News report tonight ......