The London children's hospital treating terminally ill baby Charlie Gard would like to fulfill his parents' wish to take him home to die if practical, a lawyer representing the hospital said in court on Tuesday.
The lawyer also said Charlie's parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, had rejected an offer of mediation.
Minutes earlier, a lawyer for the couple accused Great Ormond Street Hospital of placing obstacles in the way of Charlie being taken home for his final moments.
The 11-month-old baby suffers from an extremely rare genetic condition causing progressive brain damage and muscle weakness, and his parents’ long struggle to save him has drawn an international outpouring of sympathy.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/FQJ5MB52YWITZBSQZHWFT3TEE4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VLOMWJSCMR4PJSC7KALZPQDF4M.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/5ZEJXACVN7HQY5QUU4LH4TJL2I.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/7ZXJZAAVNP7WXW2KFFQXOLOMVI.jpg)
Connie Yates and Chris Gard on Monday abandoned their legal battle to prolong the life of their son, whose case has prompted an international furore and drawn comment from US president Donald Trump and Pope Francis.
Lawyer Grant Armstrong told the London High Court that the parents’ final wish was to take Charlie home to die.
“We struggle with the difficulties the hospital is placing in the way of the parents having a ... short period of time before the final act in Charlie’s short life,” Mr Armstrong said.
Reuters