European Judges Rejected Last-Minute Bid To Save Archie Battersbee’s Life

Since April, Archie Battersbee has been in a coma but kept alive with a combination of medical interventions, including ventilations and drug treatments at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London. But sadly, doctors believe the boy doesn’t have a fighting chance as he has a brain-stem dead. 

And despite his parents’ legal fight not to withdraw him from life support, the European judges rejected the bid, and as a result, it will finally be turned off. 

To the latter, Archie’s mum, Hollie Dance, has now suggested the end was in sight as she broke down in tears outside the Royal London Hospital on Wednesday. She claimed she would fight to get her son moved into a hospice so he could have a dignified passing and spend time with his loved ones without being interrupted by noises and chaos.

“We’ve now got a fight to see whether we can get him out of here to have a dignified passing at a hospice. It’s just unfair. Now I would like him out of this hospital. He came to this hospital to have an operation; this hospital failed him,” Hollie said after hearing the judge’s decision. 

“So, I would like him out of here as quick as possible, really. And in a peaceful hospice to say goodbye and spend time with his family, uninterrupted by the noise and chaos. The only thing I will say is, I promised him I’d fight to the end. That’s exactly what I’ve done.”  When asked if the defeat felt different, Hollie said: “It’s the end, it was the last thing, wasn’t it, and again, our country has failed a 12-year-old child.” 

But the Barts Health NHS Trust has said Archie’s condition is unstable for a transfer, and moving him would likely hasten the premature deterioration the family wishes to avoid, even with full intensive care equipment and staff on the journey. Hollie and her husband Archie’s dad, Paul, had also submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights for Archie to proceed on life support, but it was refused. 

The court said it wouldn’t interfere with the decisions of the national courts to permit the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from Archie to proceed. 

In a statement, the court also said it wouldn’t grant an interim measure to continue treatment and declared the parents’ complaints inadmissible. Accordingly, the court added it would only grant such requests on an exceptional basis and when the applicants would otherwise face a real risk of irreversible harm. 

However, a spokeswoman for the family has said it’s completely barbaric and disgusting that they are not allowed to choose where Archie takes his last moments. 

They added: “Hospices are well and truly designed for palliative and respite care. Archie is now obviously on palliative care, so there is no reason whatsoever for him not to take his last moments at a hospice. The hospice has said that they will take him.” On the other hand, Archie’s family is holding a vigil by his bedside in Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel. They’ve also been playing his favorite music and TV shows, including personal messages to him from boxing stars.