SIGN THE PETITION: Pray for Charlie Gard's parents, ending battle for Charlie's life
LONDON, England, July 26, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Charlie Gard's parents have until 12:00 p.m. tomorrow to set up their home to Great Ormond Street Hospital's (GOSH) liking, or their son will be transferred to a hospice and have his life support pulled there.
Such arrangements will be difficult to make, meaning the 11-month-old who has captured the world's attention will likely have his life support removed at a hospice.
For months, the hospital argued in court that its staff rather than Charlie's parents be allowed to decide his fate. After Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, eventually ended their legal battle to save their son's life because the hospital didn't treat him soon enough, the hospital refused to allow them to take Charlie home to die.
Yesterday and today, Chris and Connie were in court trying to arrange for their 11-month-old son to be transferred from the hospital to their home, and allowed to spend his last moments there.
The BBC reported that Chris and Connie have “accepted their son has to be moved to a hospice” and some British media suggested they gave up trying to bring him home.
However, Rev. Patrick Mahoney, a human rights activist Charlie's parents invited to England to help, told LifeSiteNews Chris and Connie haven't formally withdrawn their request that Charlie be allowed to come home.
“Because of the difficulties of providing invasive ventilation at home and the potential for problems,” the hospital argued against allowing Charlie to go home, The Guardian reported.
“At the high court on Wednesday, they said that they would instead seek to move him to a hospice, hopefully for 'a week or so,'” The Guardian explained. But the hospital “has suggested that he should be removed from life support within hours of being transferred to a hospice.”
“Unless by 12 p.m. tomorrow the parents and guardian and Great Ormond Street hospital can agree [on] alternative arrangements, Charlie will be transferred to a hospice and extubated shortly thereafter,” Mr. Justice Francis, the judge, said.
How long Charlie will have to live seems to depend on whether his parents can find specialists who will continue treating him at the hospice (or his parents' home), and how hard the hospital and Charlie's government-appointed “guardian” push for his life support to immediately be removed.
Mahoney posted on Facebook that Charlie's parents “have until 12 PM tomorrow to meet the requirements of Great Ormond Street hospital in terms of bringing Charlie home for his final hours. If an agreement cannot be reached, Charlie will be taken to a hospice where they will remove him from life-support. It is unclear on what the timetable would be.”