A British judge is in the middle of a hearing concerning the fate of Alfie Evans. Initial reports indicate Judge Hayden may allow Alfie’s parents to take the 23-month old little boy home.
Alfie’s parents have been fighting in court for months to have the legal right to decide the fate of their little boy, who suffers from a rare and degenerative neurological condition. Judge Hayden is again considering the case now that Alfie has survived approximately 20 hours since officials at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital disconnected his life support and removed his oxygen.
Because Alfie’s life support has been disconnected there is essentially no reason for him to stay at the hospital, which is not providing any additional care treatment or experimental treatments for his condition. That maybe persuading the judge in the hearing right now to allow his parents to take him home.
As one British media outlet reports, “Alder Hey Hospital is reportedly considering allowing sick tot Alfie Evans to leave its care to be treated at home — as his parents bid to fly him to medics in Italy.”
“An emergency High Court hearing is underway where doctors are now said to be considering letting little Alfie go to be with his desperate parents full time, according to reporters present in court,” it added. “The latest hearing in Manchester comes as medics were left “gobsmacked” that the sick tot had continued to breathe for 19 hours after his life support was switched off last night.”
“But a barrister for Alder Hey said that doctors had told parents Tom Evans and Kate James that the tot could survive for hours or even days after his ventilation was withdrawn,” it continued. “Paul Diamond, who is representing the family of Alfie Evans, this afternoon argued that it is not in Alfie’s best interests to be left at Alder Hey Hospital and that he should instead be flown overseas – with an air ambulance already waiting and Italy also offering him a private jet.”
During the hearing, Justice Hayden appeared to blame the parents for not being able to take Alfie home.
Justice Hayden, speaking to lawyers representing Alfie’s parents and Alder Hey Hospital, said: “If there were a more constructive attitude from the family might other options become possible, away from Alder Hey?”
The hospital has told the judge that it could take days to get Alfie home, and the theme of its testimony in court right now appears to be about the delay and difficulty of getting Alfie home — which could prevent him from getting life support or the treatment he needs in Italy.
An Alder Hey clinician, part of the team treating Alfie overnight, tells court the soonest they could move him home would be 3-5 days but that hostility to medics makes that “impossible” at present.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) April 24, 2018
Alder Hey clinician, still in her work scrubs to appear at this emergency hearing, says moving patients home “does not happen overnight” and only after extensive consideration and discussion.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) April 24, 2018
A new report from an Italian news agency indicates the judge appears to have ruled out Alfie going to Rome.
A British high court judge appears to have ruled out a request by Alfie Evans parents for the seriously ill toddler to be taken to a Rome hospital, journalists in court have reported, according to the Liverpool Echo. However, he did ask Liverpool hospital Alder Hey to consider allowing Alfie to be taken home, the local daily reported. The judge also criticised some people close to Alfie’s parents, saying them were providing them false hope.
In what appears to be the last-ditch of last-ditch appeals to the court, Alfie Evans family barrister asks judge to allow him to be treated overseas if other options fail in next 48 hours.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) April 24, 2018
If Tom and Kate Evans are allowed to take Alpha home the question then becomes whether or not they would have the legal right to take Alfie to Rome Italy where a hospital as waiting to provide him appropriate Medical Care and treatment as well as potential experimental treatment. After a decision by Italy yesterday, Alfie now has Italian citizenship which should qualify him for being able to leave the country. But the court may decide to prohibit that.
SIGN THE PETITION! Please Let Alfie Evans’ Parents Take Care of Him
An air ambulance has arrived outside the hospital where little Alfie Evans is located. Alfie has breathed on his own and has survived for over 20 hours after the Children’s Hospital yanked his life support.
Alfie has defied doctors’ expectations to this point and his parents are headed back to court to fight for his life further. They are hoping to be able to get life support restored and also want to be able to take him to Italy, which granted him citizenship yesterday.
Today, a British doctors group, The Medical Ethics Alliance, expressed its horror over the treatment of Alfie Evans that it called a “medical tyranny.”
And Italy’s Healthcare Chief has slammed the decisions by UK courts to treat Alfie the way that they have. The President of the Italian National Institute of Health lambasted the UK High Court’s decision yesterday on Alfie Evans’ that resulted it the children’s hospital being allowed to remove life support over Alfie’s parents’ objections.
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.
Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken on Alfie’s behalf and urged that Alfie’s parents be allowed to bring him to Italy.
