ECHR what a joke!

It's a crazy world we live in. There are people who are terminally ill and in great pain and suffering and wish to end their lives and yet the courts refuse them and their relatives the right to die of their own choosing. Alfie has been offered the opportunity to go to Italy and the courts decide he must die. Why not just allow him to go to Italy with his parents, if nothing else, it will give them some comfort.

Presumably the courts believe it will cause unnecessary auffering to Alfie? Playing devils advocate a bit, as I don’t know the details.

T.R.O.Y wrote:Presumably the courts believe it will cause unnecessary auffering to Alfie? Playing devils advocate a bit, as I don’t know the details.

Plus as the judge said Alfie's brain had been eroded and that it had been "damaged entirely and so too had the capacity of sight, hearing, taste and sense of touch". Thus Alfie has no possibility of recovering.

Not sure if the Doctors are wrong in this case, but it is true that they make mistakes. They are only human beings just like the rest of us. A couple of months ago my 3 year old was at RMCH and the surgeon there dropped the bombshell on us that he needed urgent surgery close to his spine that couldn't be put off and booked him in for the op which was to take place just a couple of days later. I completely thought he was jumping the gun and point blank refused to let him have the surgery as I thought he was wrong and being hasty to say the least. I was even at odds with the Mrs about it as she was just willing to let it go ahead. Surgery so close to the spinal cord can be dangerous, and there's got to be certainty that it's what is the correct course of action.

Anyway, another couple of trips to the hospital later, and a few more tests, and guess what, I was right. The surgeon admitted he'd jumped the gun and no surgery was needed. My son was almost put through all that for no reason at all.

That's not an overall criticism of RMCH and it's Doctors, just that on occasion, they can be wrong. I've been in and out of that place ever since my son was born and he's received nothing but top notch care, and every single member of staff there has been amazing, but they're human and it happens.

What disturbs me the most about Alfie's case is how the rights of a parent can be disregarded so blatantly and how your child can be held hostage until he dies and there's nothing you can do about it. If there's another hospital willing to take him on and give the kid a shot, I just don't see the problem. If he dies anyway, then at least the parents have the comfort of knowing that every single avenue has been exhausted. Those parents will now spend the rest of their lives wondering 'what if'. It's appalling to me that the courts are able to play God like this.

Sorry to hear about your son, I hope the future is looking brighter.

It's not about "another hospital willing to take him on and give the kid a shot". The Italian hospital agrees with the diagnosis of the Alder Hey doctors that Alfie is brain dead with no possibility of recovering. They are just offering palliative care.

A terrible situation for any parent to be in but they need to try to be realistic about the situation. Keeping Alfie on life support indefinitely is not the answer.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Sorry to hear about your son, I hope the future is looking brighter.

I second that. 

In the hope that Nat forgives me for mocking Cecil's cow pat haircut.

It still stands that if a parent wants to seek treatment elsewhere and that hospital is willing to provide extended treatment then it should be done. I'm sure nobody is suggesting he be left on life support forever, and if it gives the parents closure after the fact, then all the better.

boltonbonce wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:Sorry to hear about your son, I hope the future is looking brighter.

I second that. 

In the hope that Nat forgives me for mocking Cecil's cow pat haircut.

Thank you both, he will be fine. My boy is just like any other healthy kid, it's just that he has a cyst very close to the spinal cord that the doctors worried could be putting pressure it. There's kids much worse off.

Bwfc1958 wrote:

boltonbonce wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:Sorry to hear about your son, I hope the future is looking brighter.

I second that. 

In the hope that Nat forgives me for mocking Cecil's cow pat haircut.

Thank you both, he will be fine. My boy is just like any other healthy kid, it's just that he has a cyst very close to the spinal cord that the doctors worried could be putting pressure it. There's kids much worse off.

A bit late but I also wish the best for your son.

We all want our children to be healthy and I do hope the cyst soon goes away whatever the best course of treatment for it to be done is.

I'm sure we all on Nuts wish that.

Cheers Sluffy.

It seems Alfie has passed away in the early hours. RIP little man.

RIP little soldier.

Unfortunately some of the people "helping" the parents were religious nutters with their own agenda. One of their lawyers was described by the judge as a “fanatical and deluded young man” whose submissions to the court were “littered with vituperation and bile” that was “inconsistent with the real interests of the parents’ case”.

Full article here:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/28/call-from-god-american-pro-lifers-role-in-alfie-evans-battle