The baby’s parents lost a legal battle to take him to the U. S. for trial therapy.
WASHINGTON — President Trump weighed in Monday on an emotional “right-to-life” case that has pit European courts against the pope, offering via Twitter to help a dying baby who is being denied further treatment at a London hospital.
Ten-month-old Charlie Gard suffers from a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage, and he is unable to breathe without assistance. His parents last week lost an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, their last chance for legal remedy, to bring him to the United States for trial therapy.
Following a similar ruling by the U. K.’s supreme court, the ruling means Great Ormand Street Hospital could withdraw the child’s life support, according to The Guardian newspaper.
Trump offered U. S. assistance, but it’s unclear what that would mean.
“If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U. K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so, ” he tweeted.
Trump has not spoken to the family, not wanting to pressure them in any way, Helen Ferre, White House media affairs director, told reporters Monday. But members of his administration have been in touch with the family in calls facilitated by the British government. Because of legal issues, she said she can’t confirm the name of the doctor or hospital where Charlie could be treated in the United States.
“The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible, ” she said, according to a pool report.
Trump’s tweet follows a statement on Sunday from the Vatican, stating that Pope Francis prays for Charlie’s parents and hopes “that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.”
Pope Francis tweeted on Friday, “To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all.”
Charlie’s doctors say that, given his condition, experimental therapy is unlikely to have a beneficial outcome, according to The Guardian. The European Court of Human Rights sided with British courts that said the hospital could withdraw life support because it was highly probable Charlie would suffer significant harm if his life was prolonged.
The hospital told the parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, on Friday that they could not take their son home to die, but they were granted more time with him at the hospital, the newspaper reported.
The hospital says it won’t rush to change his care and future treatment plans will involve “careful planning and discussion.”
A message posted Monday morning on the Charlie Gard #charliesfight Facebook page, highlighted Trump’s tweet and said, “if he’s still fighting, we’re still fighting!!!”
A twitter handle associated with http: //www.charliesfight.org/ tweeted thanks to Trump and urged British Prime Minister Theresa May to “do the right thing and #savecharliegard.”
The case is being watched closely in the U. S. by the Patients Rights Action Fund, which opposes assisted suicide legalization efforts.
“The Charlie Gard case is tragic, which warrants the President’s and other heads of states’ attention, and our hearts go out to his family, ” said J. Hanson, president of the organization. “Although there is a chasm between killing, as with assisted suicide and euthanasia, and letting die, it is deeply troubling anytime physicians and governments, not patients and their families, are making determinations about whether a person’s life is worth living.”
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, said “Every life is a gift and worth fighting for so we are heartened by President Trump’s involvement in the tragic situation surrounding Charlie Gard. Our hearts go out to the Gard family and we hope that their wishes with respect to Charlie’s treatment will in the end be respected.”
The case triggered protests outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday and hundreds of protesters appeared at an event organized on Facebook to support the couple, The Guardian reported. The family has started a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than 1 million British pounds to support his care.
His parents posted a message Thursday on Charlie’s Facebook page, saying they are spending their “last precious hours” with their son.
“We and most importantly Charlie have been massively let down throughout this whole process, ” they wrote. “Charlie will die tomorrow knowing that he was loved by thousands… thank you to everyone for all your support!”
