A British judge has ruled that an American specialist can travel to the U.K. to examine the terminally ill baby Charlie Gard.
The decision presents a reversal after a series of court losses for Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates. The couple walked out of a hearing on Thursday in protest, claiming they were being misquoted. The judge later said he understood how difficult this was for them, and that they could leave again if necessary.
Gard and Yates want to keep their son on life support long enough for him to receive experimental treatment, but Charlie’s hospital argues that the baby should be allowed to die. However, the hospital applied last week for a new hearing after doctors from two international hospitals approached Great Ormond Street Hospital offering evidence about the possibility of treating the infant.
The British infant suffers from a rare mitochondrial disorder. A specialist in such disorders, Michio Hirano, testified during the first day of the hearing that Charlie’s situation may not be as dire as previous estimates had indicated. He said the possibility of improvement in muscle strength was “at least 10%,” and said the proposed nucleoside therapy treatment had even allowed one patient with a similar disease to be weaned off a ventilator entirely.
Hirano will travel to the U.K. to examine Charlie on Monday, meeting with Charlie’s current physicians. Charlie’s mother, Connie Yates, fought for permission to attend, and the judge granted her request.
Both Pope Francis and Donald Trump spoke out on the Gards’ behalf after the the case garnered international attention several weeks ago. Trump offered “help,” while the pope requested that Charlie’s parents be permitted to “accompany and treat their child until the end.” Hirano has been involved in the case since before the White House brought publicity to the story.
Facilities in the Vatican and New York have also offered to treat Charlie.
The judge plans to issue a final decision by July 25, but for now, the court is adjourned.
