Doctors now retain the right to halt life-support treatment from an eight-month-old baby if the heart failed to develop properly according to a high court judge's rulings. This procedure will be taken despite any of the parents' objections.
Ms Justice Russell stated that halting "invasive" treatment would only prove to be in the infant's best interests. Medical specialists had given the little girl only weeks to live. Although saying that it was understandable that the parents would want the baby to live as long as possible, the judge still passed the ruling.
The family involved in the case were not identified. The judge passed the ruling after careful analysis of the situation at a private hearing in London earlier in Feb. in the high court's family division. According to the Guardian, officials at London's Great Ormond Street hospital asked the judge to take a decision on the basis of what the girl's best interests would be.
The judge said problems were visible even before birth. The medical team diagnosed the condition as one where the left side of the heart fails to fully develop properly. The team also said the condition had a "very high risk of mortality" and recommended the mother have an abortion.
However, the parents decided they wanted to keep the pregnancy. After the delivery, the baby girl underwent her first surgery at two days old. The baby's death was ruled by doctors as "imminent and inevitable". Despite accepting that their daughter would die soon, the parents argued that no one could be sure how soon.
The parents also added that many "positives" in her life existed and that the baby should be allowed to "continue to enjoy life". This is not the first case of its kind. A similar scenario ensued in 2012, as reported by The Telegraph.
Justice Russell, referred to the child by the initials of "MK", stood her stance stating that it would be wrong to inflict more distress and pain on a child who had "already suffered so much". The judge added, "MK is very likely to feel fear and to be frightened by the procedures being carried out".
