Hospital Removes Alfie Evans’ Life Support Over His Parents’ Objections

By Dave Andrusko
Life News

According to supporters of Alfie Evans and his parents, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital reportedly went ahead and removed Alfie’s life support over their objections.

The decision by the Children’s Hospital to remove Alfie Evans’ life support reportedly came after an emergency meeting between attorneys for Alfie’s parents, an Italian government representative, lawyers for the children’s hospital and the judge who allowed the hospital to proceed previously. As supporters of Alfie told LifeNews, Justice Hayden was unpersuaded by a late move from Italy to declare Alfie a citizen. He went ahead and allowed the Children’s Hospital to remove Alfie’s life support anyway.

As Liverpool Echo reports:

A High Court judge has dismissed a “last-ditch appeal” by the parents of Alfie Evans – the 23-month-old boy who has been at the centre of a life-support treatment fight.

Mr Justice Hayden had said doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool could stop providing life-support treatment to Alfie.

Alfie’s parents, Tom Evans and Kate James, who are both in their early 20s and from Liverpool, asked for a delay to give them time to mount a further challenge.

But the judge has refused their application and given doctors the go-ahead to stop treatment and bring Alfie’s life to an end.

Alfie’s father confirmed the removal of life support and oxygen in a video at 9:17 p.m. London time. “Alfie’s still here and fighting,” he said.

In the video, Alfie’s parents are shown in his room at this moment wondering if Alfie will pass away before he was given proper medical care and treatment and a chance to try experimental treatment to possibly deal with the adverse effects of the degenerative neurological condition he is facing.

Earlier in the day, Italy granted citizenship to Alfie Evans, the 23-month-old little boy whose hospital is threatening to revoke his life support without his parents’ consent.

Italy’s decision would have made it so Alfie’s parents could theoretically bring him to a hospital in Rome that has offered to provide appropriate medical care and treatment and to look at experimental treatments that could help his degenerative neurological condition. However, British courts have prevented Alfie’s parents from taking him there and a European Court of human rights has refused to intervene.

As ANSA reported:

Italy on Monday gave Italian citizenship to terminally ill British toddler Alfie Evans so that he can hopefully be “immediately” moved to Italy from Liverpool, where doctors are set to pull the plug on him, the foreign ministry said. “Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and Interior Minister Marco Minniti have granted citizenship to little Alfie,” the ministry said.

“In this way the Italian government hopes that being an Italian citizen will enable the immediate transfer of the child to Italy”.

Alfie’s father Thomas Evans confirmed on a Facebook post that his son had received Italian citizenship.

“Alfie has been granted Italian citizenship, we await for the foreign minister to call Borris Johnson. Alfie belongs to Italy,” he wrote.

Pavel Strolilov of Christian Legal, who is representing Alfie’s parents, says the Italian ambassador has contacted the UK court on behalf of Alfie. According to Evans, the family’s attorneys will participate in a conference call with Justice Hayden, the Italian ambassador, and Alder Hey Children’s hospital officials to determine if Alfie can leave the country now that he is an Italian citizen. But it now appears the meeting was unsuccessful.

Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken on Alfie’s behalf and urged this afternoon that Alfie’s parents be allowed to bring him to Italy.

The move comes after the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene to save the 23-month-old boy from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which is yanking his life support without his parents’ consent. 

Life News report continues here

Blogger's note:

Where do British courts get the authority to supplant parental God-given rights?  Euthanasia has become lawful in many nations. Voices for the Unborn have published numerous articles of patients with dementia and mental illness have been euthanized.  When government becomes the sole arbiter of vulnerable human life, the odious spectre of the elitist mentalitly is laid bare for all to see. 

Mother in Coma Heard Everything, Including How Doctors Shut Off Her Life Support and Said She’d Die

By Micaiah Bilger

Life News

Three little words changed an Arizona family’s entire outlook as they stood at their mother’s deathbed.

Doctors thought Lyndee Brown Pellettiere-Swapp, 47, was dying and would never wake from her coma. But soon after she was removed from life support, Pellettiere-Swapp said three words out loud: “I’m a fighter.”

The Daily Mail reports Pellettiere-Swapp was not brain dead but locked-in, a condition where she could hear things around her but was unable to respond or move.

Her family found her unconscious one day back in 2015 and rushed her to the hospital. She suffered several seizures, and after 12 days in the hospital, doctors said her organs were failing. They said the best option would be to turn off her life support, according to the report.

Doctors told her husband and children that she would never come out of her coma, and there was nothing more to be done.

So, on Oct. 29, 2015, doctors turned off her life support. Meanwhile, she said her husband was by her side whispering, “I need you to fight.”

Pellettiere-Swapp told CBS 5 that she heard everything that people around her were saying, including the plans to remove her life support. She said she remembered her niece coming into her hospital room and reading to her. She said she remembered doctors examining her and talking to her family about removing her life support.

But she was not able to respond until she almost died.

“In my head it was very clear what I was saying, but it wasn’t to them. I was finally able to get out ‘I’m a fighter,’ which is what my husband was whispering in my ear,” she told CBS5.

The Arizona mother has had a long and difficult recovery, with several hospital stays and surgeries since she awoke. Her husband and two children said they are so grateful she is alive.

“Just because you are not conscious does not mean you cannot hear,” she said. “So you should talk to your loved ones if you are in that situation. They hear you.”

Life News continues

Charlie Gard Dies After Life Support is Switched Off: Mother Says “Our Beautiful Boy is Gone”

By Steven Ertelt
Live News

Charlie Gard has passed away after his life support was switched off today. His parents said in a post on social media that “our beautiful boy” is gone.

Charlie was at the center of a massive international debate after the hospital where he was receiving treatment for a rare disease refused to allow an experimental treatment to help him and also refused transferring him to another hospital that would allow the treatment.

Charlie’s parents took their fight to numerous courts to protect his life but to no avail. Each of the courts and a British judge argued that it was in Charlie’s best interest to be removed from the life support.

Charlie’s mother, Connie, said: “Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie.”

Leading pro-life advocates mourned Charlie’s death — saying it’s a very concerning harbinger of things to come.

The boy suffers from a rare mitochondrial disease and brain damage. On Thursday, a judge ruled that Charlie will be taken to hospice to die, rather than home as his parents requested.

On Monday, Connie Yates and Chris Gard decided to end the legal battle to get their son experimental treatment. Based on new evidence, the couple said Charlie’s condition has deteriorated too much and there no longer is any hope of the experimental treatment working.

His parents and Great Ormond Street Hospital have been in a months-long legal battle over his treatment. Their final request to a judge this week was to be allowed to take Charlie home to die.

On Thursday, a judge ruled that Charlie will be moved to hospice and his life support will be removed at a time not publicly disclosed. He will not be allowed to go home, as his parents wished.

Charlie’s parents have long expressed the desire to be allowed to take him home to die. However, their first choice was to take Charlie to the United States for an experimental treatment. They raised more than $1.5 million for his medical care.

Life News continues