In a letter sent on Saturday, Hollie Dance urged the Health Secretary to ‘act immediately’ to stop her son’s treatment ending.
30 July 2022
The mother of a 12-year-old boy left in a comatose state after suffering brain damage has written an urgent appeal to the Government, with support treatment understood to be ending on Monday afternoon.
In a letter sent on Saturday, Hollie Dance urged the Health Secretary to “act immediately” to stop her son Archie Battersbee’s treatment ending.
Barts Health NHS Trust, which is caring for Archie, is understood to be going ahead with plans to end the support at 2pm on Monday.
Writing to Stephen Barclay, Ms Dance said: “If this happens, this will be an extraordinary cruelty, and a flagrant breach of Archie’s rights as a disabled person.
“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.
“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.”
A High Court judge has ruled that ending treatment is in Archie’s best interests, after reviewing evidence.
Ms Dance and Paul Battersbee, the youngster’s parents, who are separated but both live in Southend, Essex, failed to persuade Court of Appeal judges to overturn that ruling and Supreme Court justices have refused to intervene.
Archie’s parents are being supported by campaign organisation the Christian Legal Centre.
The Department of Health has been approached for comment.
