'Give him a chance to live': Petition demands Archie Battersbee NOT be taken off life support
As the UK Court of Appeal rang the death knell for young Archie Battersbee, a new petition is demanding that the 12-year-old be kept alive and given a "chance to recover."
The family of Archie, who suffered “catastrophic brain damage” while performing an online asphyxiation challenge, recently lost their second appeal to save his life. The Court of Appeal ruled on Monday that the youngster's life support can be switched off by the doctors at noon on Tuesday, August 2. The decision of the court came out despite a direct intervention from the United Nations.
RELATED ARTICLES
Lawyers representing Archie's family told the Court of Appeal on Monday, August 1, that not postponing the withdrawal of life support would breach international human rights laws. This was after the UK government asked judges to consider a request from a United Nations committee to keep treating the youngster while it examines the case.
BREAKING NEWS: An application to delay the withdrawal of life-preserving treatment being provided to 12-year-old Archie Battersbee has failed at the Court of Appeal.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 1, 2022
Latest: https://t.co/BMNRFcTcPp
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/x8TvVlcSZS
"The mother of Archie Battersbee has vowed to fight on for her son and other children who have been 'sentenced to death' after a judge ruled that he should be allowed to die," read the change.org petition started by Mia Greenwall. "High Court judge Mrs Justice Arbuthnot on Monday ruled that doctors at the Royal London Hospital in east London could legally withdraw ventilator treatment from 12-year-old Archie, saying that he was technically dead. His family have already said they intend to appeal the ruling, with his mother Hollie Dance saying she was 'devastated and extremely disappointed' that the decision. But she said she would not give up the fight for her son, and that her 'gut instinct' was that he was still alive." The petition urged the public to "support Archie’s family to ask the hospital to give him a chance to live."
Archie Battersbee's life support is due to be switched off today.
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) August 2, 2022
His mother Hollie Dance claims the court has not seen all the evidence to support her appeal to keep her son alive.
"We've been silenced."@PiersUncensored | #TalkTV pic.twitter.com/2IGEead0ko
Archie suffered catastrophic brain damage after getting seriously injured at his home in Southend, Essex on April 7, 2022. The little boy was found in an unconscious state by his mother Hollie Dance, who said she found the boy with a ligature over his head and assumed that he was taking part in a viral asphyxiation challenge. Hollie told the Echo after the incident, "It’s a freak accident which resulted in a brain injury and I’m just reliving it constantly. To be honest, the doctors are saying negative stuff, he’s not responding, but we do hold hope.” She added, “I feel he needs a bit of time."
TOP STORIES
Archie is under the care of the Barts Health NHS Trust since he was found unconscious at home by his mother on April 7. The trust said in a letter to his parents that "no supplemental oxygen will be given" after the endotracheal tube of the mechanical ventilator is removed. The boy has relied on the machine since his admission to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel in April. On June 6, a specialist told the UK court that Archie is "brain-stem dead" as the scan showed some part of Archie’s brain was already dead. The doctors also claimed the "chance of recovery is very low" as the life support treatment he was on was not going to aid in his recovery.