Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia BLASTS court decision in Archie Battersbee's death: ‘Humanity is defeated'
The tragic death of Archie Battersbee sent shockwaves across the globe and sparked a discussion about courts intervening in civil matters of life and death. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, took to social media on Saturday, August 6, to express his sorrow over the child's passing. "When the life of someone is decided by a court, humanity is defeated," he declared.
The 12-year-old boy, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, died earlier on Saturday after doctors took him off life support following a High Court decision. Archie's parents -- Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance -- fought a long drawn-out legal battle with Barts Health NHS Trust to keep him on life support but were ultimately unsuccessful in their bid to extend his treatment.
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“I pray for #ArchieBattersbee and his family. When the life of someone is decided by a court, humanity is defeated: @PagliaAbp @monspaglia," Archbishop Paglia tweeted on Saturday, August 6.
I pray for #ArchieBattersbee and his family. When the life of someone is decided by a court, humanity is defeated: @PagliaAbp @monspaglia pic.twitter.com/B1iIOnjxBo
— Pontifical Academy Life (@PontAcadLife) August 6, 2022
Archie was hospitalized since April 7, when his mother found him unresponsive at their Essex home after he allegedly took part in a viral asphyxiation challenge. The boy was transferred from Southend to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel the following day. Doctors, however, concluded that he was "brain-stem dead." According to the UK National Health Service, it is a condition in which a person fails to respond to outside stimuli and will likely never regain consciousness or be able to breathe without support.
On June 13, a High Court judge ruled that Archie was clinically "dead" and that his life support could be withdrawn. His parents tried to appeal the decision, but their plea was rejected by the Court of Appeal. Then, on July 28, the Supreme Court said it won't intervene in the case and upheld the Court of Appeal decision. Hollie and Paul continued to fight for their son nonetheless, approaching the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights to intervene, albeit in vain.
Hollie revealed that her son's life support was withdrawn around 10 am on Saturday and he died a couple of hours later at 12.15 pm. “I’m the proudest mum in the world,'' she told reporters outside the hospital. “Such a beautiful little boy, and he fought right until the very end.” Archbishop Paglia's tweet came just a couple of hours after his death, and a day after a UK bishop expressed his support for Archie and his parents.
Archie Battersbee has died in hospital after weeks of legal battles.
— PA Media (@PA) August 6, 2022
Speaking outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, his mother Hollie Dance said “he fought right until the very end” pic.twitter.com/K7wmTKYie3
Bishop John Sherrington -- the Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as well as an auxiliary Bishop of Westminster -- called for Archie’s “inherent dignity as a person created in the image and likeness of God” to be recognized in the final moments of his life. “The recently hard-fought arguments in the courts about Archie’s ongoing treatment and care highlight again the need to find better ways of mediation by which parents and health care professionals can reach common agreements and avoid complex legal proceedings,” he said in a statement.
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Bishop Sherrington also pointed to the church's teachings with respect to end-of-life care. "Whilst the Catholic Church recognizes that there are situations when medical treatment to sustain life is no longer obligatory if there is no hope of recovery,” he noted, “ordinary treatment and care should be provided appropriate to the condition of the patient.” The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a statement in 2007 that was approved by Pope Benedict XVI affirming that the “administration of food and water even if by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life," Vatican News reported.