Update: After a week of deliberation, the U.K. Supreme court announced Monday that it has extended the case of Gard and Others v. the United Kingdom while the European Court of Human Rights evaluates whether or not baby Charlie can travel to the United States for experimental treatment.
Charlie will now be given three more weeks to live while a decision is reached.
As previously reported by Faithit, 10-month-old Charlie Gard has become a well-known name across the Internet after his parents entered the fight for his life. Born healthy and diagnosed at two months with a rare DNA disease that has only been found in 16 people ever, Charlie’s parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, raised more than $1.6 million to bring the boy to America for an experimental treatment.
Charlie’s Fight
They believe it will improve his chance at life, while doctors believe it is too risky. Charlie is currently alive thanks to a life support machine, but doctors believe he has been brain-dead for some time and deserves the right to “die with dignity.”
Charlie’s Fight
They took Connie and Chris to court over the matter, where judges ruled in favor of the doctors—stripping Charlie’s parents of their rights, and putting a deadline on the amount of time he has left to live.
The court originally ordered Charlie’s life support to be shut off after midnight on May 30. But when the European Supreme Court swooped in to review the case at the 11th hour, Charlie was given a few more weeks to live.