Archie Battersbee's mother makes last ditch appeal to Health Secretary

Archie's parents have appealed to the UN. (Photo: GoFundMe)

The mother of Archie Battersbee has written an urgent letter to the Health Secretary urging the government to prevent his life support from being withdraw.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) has told the government to keep the 12-year-old alive while it considers an application by his family. 

Despite the UN CRPD's injunction, the hospital trust caring for Archie has said it plans to go ahead with removing his life support on Monday. 

The government is yet to respond to the UN CRPD interim measures.

In her letter to Health Secretary Stephen Barclay, Archie's mother, Hollie Dance, said it would be "an extraordinary cruelty" and a "flagrant breach of Archie's rights as a disabled person" if doctors remove his life support. 

"Archie is entitled to have the decisions about his life and death, taken by the NHS and UK courts, to be scrutinised by an international human rights body. Hastening his death to prevent that would be completely unacceptable," she said. 

"I trust that you will now act immediately, as a member of the government responsible for the NHS, to ensure that this does not happen, and our country honours its obligations under the international human rights treaties which we have signed and ratified."

Newsletter Stay up to date with Christian Today
News
Christian aid organisations mobilise emergency Ebola response in Democratic Republic of Congo
Christian aid organisations mobilise emergency Ebola response in Democratic Republic of Congo

Christian aid organisations are mobilising emergency health responses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a deadly Ebola outbreak in the country’s north-east that has prompted international concern.

Three Baptist pastors killed in Manipur ambush after peace conference
Three Baptist pastors killed in Manipur ambush after peace conference

The victims were senior leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI), a Baptist denomination rooted in the Thadou-Kuki community of Manipur.

Over 1,000 gather in Blackpool for Diocese of Blackburn centenary celebration
Over 1,000 gather in Blackpool for Diocese of Blackburn centenary celebration

Over 1,000 Christians from across Lancashire gathered in the heart of Blackpool over the weekend for a large-scale public celebration marking the centenary year of the Church of England’s Diocese of Blackburn.

Christian group has mixed feelings about new trans guidance
Christian group has mixed feelings about new trans guidance

The NHS can no longer hide behind the "waiting for guidance" excuse, but a Christian group fears that inaction will still be the order of the day as the guidance does not extend to workplaces.