President Trump and Pope Francis have now both expressed support for Charlie Gard, the British infant who a court ordered to be taken off life support.
Charlie’s parents recently lost their final legal appeal to transfer Charlie to a U.S. hospital where he would receive experimental treatment. They had raised over £1.3 million to fund their trip and pay for the medical care. After a series of court cases and appeals, the British Supreme Court held that it “would not be in Charlie’s best interest” to be kept alive. The European Court of Human Rights affirmed this decision last Tuesday, refusing to intervene.
The case has sparked outrage and controversy.
In a tweet Monday morning, President Trump wrote, “If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.” White House media affairs director Helen Ferre said, “Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard’s situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heartbreaking situation. Although the President himself has not spoken to the family, he does not want to pressure them in any way, members of the administration have spoken to the family in calls facilitated by the British government. The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible.”
This came after the pope weighed in the day before. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke released a statement urging that Charlie’s parents be allowed to “accompany and treat their child until the end.” Friday, the pope tweeted, “To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all.”
The Vatican had come under fire for an earlier statement from the Pontifical Academy of Life which appeared to sympathize with the government ruling.
The president of that organization, Archbishop Vicenzo Paglia, said, “We must do what advances the health of the patient, but we must also accept the limits of medicine and . . . avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family.”
Charlie has an extremely rare disease called mitochondrial depletion syndrome. Other children with similar disorders have improved after undergoing the treatment which Charlie’s parents wish him to receive.
Originally, Charlie was scheduled to be taken off life support Friday, but the hospital granted his parents more time with the infant. However, the hospital denied the parents’ final wish to take Charlie home to die.
