‘The dilemma presented by cases concerning, as this case does, the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment from a child rests on the fact that they address what many see as an appalling present, but a present that for many also remains sanctified morally or as an article of religious faith because life subsists. For the treating doctors involved in such cases, seen through the prism of medical best interests life is at best a barely wakeful shadow burdened by futile medical treatment or, at worst, mere oblivion. For parents, seen through the prism of abiding love and fierce devotion and the amplifying effect on those emotions of the flattering voice of hope, life is still a faded jewel that has not yet been robbed away from the body and one that may yet regain its lustre. Within this context, the decision for this court in these concurrent proceedings is a grave, multifaceted and complex one.’
Judges:
Mr Justice MacDonald
Citations:
[2019] EWHC 2531 (Admin)
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Human Rights, Health Professions
Updated: 23 October 2022; Ref: scu.642717