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Archie Battersbee’s life support set to end today as last-minute appeal takes place
Archie was found unconscious in his home in April after seemingly taking part in an online challenge
A court of appeal hearing will take place this morning to discuss whether the life support of Archie Battersbee should be withdrawn.
The twelve-year-old is due to have his life support turned off at 2pm today after medics declared him as brain-stem dead and concluded that keeping him on life support is not in his best interests.
However, the Court of Appeal has now granted a virtual hearing for 11am today after Archie’s family applied to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (UNRPD) to consider the case.
A legal ‘stay’ to prevent treatment from being withdrawn has also been put in place until 1pm today.
Archie’s mother Hollie Dance said the family felt ‘relieved’ that the government had taken the UN’s intervention seriously.
She said in a statement: “This was not a ‘request’ but an interim measures injunction from the UN.
“The anxiety of being told that Archie’s life-support will be removed tomorrow at 2pm has been horrific. We are already broken and the not knowing what was going to happen next is excruciating.”
And speaking to BBC Radio 4, Dance was adamant that her son’s future ‘shouldn’t be with the decisions of a court – or the hospital – I think this sort of decision should be made by the parents – we’ve got parental responsibility for a reason’.
She said based on evidence from cases similar to Archie’s: “I don’t think six months was not too much to ask for, before being dragged through a court”.
She continued: “I don’t think I’m holding on to hope, I’m just asking for a realistic time for my child to recover from a brain injury.
“They wanted to turn the machine off on day three. What is the rush?”
Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer for Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the Royal London Hospital caring for Archie, said: “Our deepest sympathies are with Archie’s family at this difficult time.
“We understand a court hearing will take place on Monday morning and we await the outcome. The plan to withdraw treatment will proceed unless the court directs otherwise.”
Twelve-year-old Archie was found unconscious at his home in Southend, Essex back in April after taking part in what his mother believes was an online challenge. The following month, Mrs. Justice Arbuthnot ruled that Archie was brain-stem dead, declaring in June that his treatment should be withheld.