Archie Battersbee Loses Life Support After His Parent’s Appeal Was Rejected

On August 2nd, doctors at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, claimed they would withdraw Archie Battersbee’s treatment of life support, but his parents filed a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court to boy their son more time. In April, the 12-Year-Old had been found unconscious at his home in Southend, Essex, after suffering traumatic brain injuries.

Archie’s mum, Hollie, suspects the injuries were due to him taking part in an online challenge, and since then, to date, he hasn’t regained consciousness.

Hollie Dance

So far, Archie has relied on medical ventilation so far, but a High Court Judge ruled in July that he should be allowed to die. His parents have also recently lost a Supreme Court bid to block the withdrawal of the life-sustaining treatment. Sir Andrew McFarlane explained the court’s decision: “Every day that [Archie] continues to be given life-sustaining treatment is against his best interests.”

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Sir McFarlane added: “I concluded there should be no stay other than a short stay for the parents to take stock and consider whether they want to make any further application to the Supreme Court.”

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Notably, doctors insisted that Archie is brain-stem dead and said life support treatment wasn’t in his best interests. The Barts Health NHS Trust chief medical officer, Alistair Chesser, has since expressed sympathy to Archie’s family and made it clear the hospital would continue with plans to withdraw treatment unless directed otherwise.

Hollie Dance

But following the verdict, Hollie has said she and Archie’s dad Paul would challenge the ruling.

When the High Court Judge ruled last month that Archie should be allowed to die, Hollie and Paul argued it breaches Articles 10 and 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and Article 6 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children. These obligations say states must recognize the right to life for those with disabilities and children and take all necessary measures to ensure equal rights for all groups.