A European court that is supposedly devoted to protecting people’s human rights has sentenced little Alfie Evans to death. The European Court of Human Rights has denied his parents’ request in moving him to a hospital that will actually provide him care rather than removing his life support.
Although Alfie’s parents have already lined up a hospital in Rome to provide him with a proper care and treatment plan, British courts as well as the European Court have sided with the hospital and its desire to yank his life support — saying he has little or no hope left.
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Tom Evans and Kate James, who are in their 20s and from Liverpool, wanted judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg to examine issues relating to the future of their son, Alfie Evans.
But ECHR judges on Wednesday rejected their bid.
A spokesman for the ECHR said judges had declared the application inadmissible and found no appearance of any human rights violation.
The couple had already run out of legal options in the UK.
A High Court judge has ruled that doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool can stop treating Alfie, against the wishes of his parents.
That decision has been upheld by Court of Appeal judges and Supreme Court justices.
The Evans’ are now out of legal options to save Alfie’s life.
Alfie, who was born May 9, 2016, has a devastating degenerative brain disorder that has baffled physicians and specialists. Alfie has been a patient at Alder Hey Childrens’ Hospital since December 2016. The hospital has asked the courts for authority to disconnect Alfie’s ventilator.
The parents have asked for permission to move Alfie to a hospital in Rome for further evaluation and possible additional treatment.
The hospital balked at the request. They argue Alfie’s condition is terminal and that the Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome can do nothing more than Alder Hey already has.
On February 20, after a seven-day hearing, Mr. Justice Hayden concluded, “I am satisfied that continued ventilatory support is no longer in Alfie’s interests,” and that maintaining Alfie alive on a ventilator would compromise his “future dignity,” mirroring the conclusions reached by Alder Hey Childrens’ Hospital.
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Evans and James appealed but on March 6, Lord Justices McFarlane and McCombe and Lady Justice King of the nation’s second highest court concurred with the ruling of Judge Hayden. Last week the nation’s Supreme Court turned down the parents’ request to appeal, leaving an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights as the only recourse open to them.
Evans posted an angry response last week on the Facebook of “Alfie’s Army” following a meeting with the hospital, Kirkham reported:
“Alfie isn’t dying or unstable he is growing, putting weight on, responding etc.
“He is not dying so Alder Hey do not have the right to remove his life from his parents or himself!!!”
Mr Evans went on to say that he asked Alder Hey if he could take Alfie home “to a suitable setting with the private facilities and team to let him die in his own time with no further escalation of treatment and we will never return to Alder Hey and we will buy the vent and pay for the team out of Alfie’s medical funds!!!
“We are being denied this!!!!! Alder Hey want Alfie dead and on their time scale with their plans!!! Whose son is he???
“Does he belong to the government or me and Kate???!!!”
