Supreme Court Snubs Archie Battersbee’s Parents in Life Support Battle
Archie Battersbee’s parents have hit a brick wall after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in their fight to keep their son on life support.
UN Rights Panel Application Rejected
His parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had turned to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNRPD). They argued the UN body allows families to complain over disabled people’s rights being breached. But their bid was flatly dismissed on Thursday.
Life Support Battle: Court Orders Treatment to End
Archie has been in a coma since suspected involvement in an online challenge. Doctors declared him brain-dead and said continuing life-support was not in his best interests.
Two High Court judges ruled twice that treatment could be lawfully stopped. The parents appealed to the Court of Appeal, but on Monday, three judges upheld the decision.
They then sought leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, which declined.
Parents Devastated by Legal Defeat
“Words cannot express how devastated we are. The pressure to hurry through ending Archie’s life was disgraceful,” said Ms Dance. “We only asked for more time. When others agreed, the hospital and courts’ urgency is baffling.”
The heartbreaking case is set to end as the courts back doctors’ decision to stop life support.
