The world waited with bated breath as a British Appeals Court handed down a decision that determined the fate of 23-month-old Alfie Evans, who has been held as a virtual prisoner by the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, England. Sadly, the court of appeals has rejected the parents’ request to allow Alfie to be transported to an Italian hospital for alternative treatment, virtually sentencing the toddler to death.
Justice Andrew McFarlane stuck to his tired diatribe that “the only determining factor is the best interests” of the toddler, claiming, “What rights others have, particularly the parents, falls into a subsidiary category” — so, in his opinion, death is in Alfie’s best interests, not treatment.
Alfie has been in and out of medical care since December of 2016 after he developed a chest infection that caused seizures. The child is said to have been struck by a mysterious degenerative neurological illness believed to be the same mitochondrial condition that Charlie Gard had, and doctors claim he is in a “semi-vegetative state.” Videos of the child, however, show a baby who is alert, blinking, responsive, and receptive to his parents’ love and affection. Some videos even capture what appears to be responses to stimuli that doctors have attempted to explain away as mere reflexes. Alder Hey’s legal team has even acknowledged that Alfie appears to be a “happy and healthy child,” and said that was a “tragedy for the parents,” implying that the parents were being misled.
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Doctors and judges have said it is in Alfie’s best interest to stop mechanical ventilation and to set Alfie on an end-of-life plan that involves depriving him of oxygen, food, and water so that Alfie could die “with dignity,” seemingly dismissive of the excruciatingly painful death resulting from starvation and dehydration.
On April 23, Alfie’s ventilator was removed, but the child survived for nearly 48 hours without the help of the ventilator. Meanwhile, appeals by Alfie’s parents to remove the baby from the hospital and transport him to the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu’ Hospital in Rome have been rejected numerous times, including on April 24, when Justice Anthony Hayden announced that his ruling “represents the final chapter in the life of this extraordinary little boy.”
But Alfie’s parents continued to fight and were granted a reprieve when they learned that they would have yet another opportunity to appeal the ruling on Wednesday. At 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the child was finally provided nourishment after 23 hours without food.
“It’s disgusting how he’s being treated. Not even an animal would be treated this way,” the toddler’s father said.
At some point in the middle of the night on April 25, Alfie’s parents sent a request through social media begging for someone to bring a resuscitation mask to the hospital. LifeSite News reports that sources close to the situation said Alfie’s lips had turned blue and he was developing a chest infection. Hospital employees allegedly refused to hand over resuscitation masks to be used on the baby, and individuals who attempted to bring masks to the hospital following the social-media plea had the masks taken by police. It has truly been a police state at Alder Hey hospital.
The Christian Legal Centre, which represents Alfie’s parents, noted the efforts that the Italian embassy has made to save the child: “The Italian ambassador has urgently contacted the court with a request for the Italian government to be allowed to intervene in the case and seek the return of their citizen Alfie Evans to Italy.”
Alfie was granted Italian citizenship by the Italian government to allow for an immediate transfer to the Italian hospital, which has been waiting on standby to treat Alfie immediately upon his arrival. For days, an air ambulance has waited outside of Alder Hey Hospital ready to take Alfie to Italy for treatment. The aircraft is loaded with top level surgeons, and the parents have been offered accommodations upon arriving in Italy. Sadly, armed guards have surrounded Alfie’s room to prohibit his parents from removing him from the hospital.
Just before Alfie was removed from the ventilator, the Italian Embassy in London warned, “If you remove the ventilator from Alfie Evans, we will file a complaint against you for the murder of an Italian citizen.”
The National Health Service would not incur any additional costs related to Alfie’s care if he was transported to Italy, and yet the doctors and judges have refused to allow the parents to pursue an alternative treatment option that could potentially prolong the child’s life and even restore some of his quality of life.
Alfie and his family have been supported by Christian charities and a band of supporters known as “Alfie’s Army,”who have protested regularly outside of the hospital. According to ABC News, they’ve even attempted to block roads and storm the door of the hospital on Monday before being pushed back by police.
The president of Poland has also weighed in, stating that Alfie “must be saved.” He tweeted, “His brave little body has proved again that the miracle of life can be stronger than death. Perhaps all that’s needed is some good will on the part of decision makers. Alfie, we pray for you and your recovery!”
Just before the court of appeals issued its ruling, two people believed to be members of the German air ambulance crew were asked to leave Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Daily Mirror reports.
Meanwhile, the reputation of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital has been called into question about other cases, as well. The hospital has a history of recent accidental deaths.
Just last year, officials at the hospital issued an apology for giving a 15-year-old leukemia patient the wrong medication, which resulted in her death in 2013, the Liverpool Echo reports. In 2010, an accident during surgery on a three-year-old resulted in her untimely death. Eleven-year-old Joshua Molyneux died last year after going to Alder Hey hospital for a routine hip operation, as a result of a series of errors, the Liverpool Coroner’s Court was told. In 2013, “a catalogue of hospital errors and missed opportunities” were blamed for the death of a newborn baby who was admitted to Alder Hey for a routine surgery, the U.K.’s Bally and Moyle Money Times reports.
Alfie’s parents are now hoping that they may at least take their child home, where he may pass away in peaceful privacy. However, one of the hospital doctors said it could take three to five days to move him home, and that “hostility” to doctors could make it impossible, as there is a “genuine fear” among medics, the Daily Mail reports. Whether this innocent child will make it that long is uncertain.
Image: Screenshot of a video from Facebook page
