The United Nations has issued an order stating that Archie Battersby’s life support must remain on while it investigates his case.
The order by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) states that the 12-year-old’s life support should not be removed after his parents failed to persuade the Supreme Court to intervene.
Archie’s mother and father, Holly Dance and Paul Battersby, applied to the United Nations earlier on Friday to delay the withdrawal of their son’s life support while their appeal was investigated.
The family argued that stopping the treatment would be in breach of the UK’s obligations under Articles 10 and 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Article 6 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Reacting to the news, Mrs Dance said: “I am very grateful to the UN for their response and action so quickly for my son. We were under so much stress and anxiety; we are already broken and not knowing what will happen next has been excruciating. Getting this news now means everything.
“This is the first time this has happened in [the] history of this inhumane system in the UK. There have been so many ups and downs, but we’ve put on the full armor of God, entered the fray, and now we’ve given Archie time – that’s all we’ve ever wanted.”
The youngster has been reliant on mechanical ventilation since he was admitted to hospital on April 7, when he was found unconscious with a ligature on his head.
Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, believe he is brain-stem dead and say continuing on life support is not in his best interests.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Law Centre, which is supporting the family’s case, said: “We are delighted with the UN’s response. It is high time that the UK’s processes around the proactive termination of children’s lives were subject to international scrutiny.
“We now hope and pray that the UN committee will do justice to Archie and his family and to other disabled people in UK hospitals in future cases.”
“Life is the most precious gift we have.
“We have stood with the family since the beginning three months ago after the tragedy and now we continue to pray for this beautiful boy, Archie, and for everyone involved.”
In response to Archie’s family’s request, the UN CRPD wrote to his parents and legal team, saying: “Pursuant to Article 4 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in accordance with Rule 64 of the Committee’s Rules of Procedure, the Commission , acting through its Special Rapporteur on Communications, requested the State party to refrain from withholding life-saving medical treatment, including mechanical ventilation and artificial nutrition and hydration, from the alleged victim while the case is being considered by the Committee; this request does not mean that any decision has been reached on the merits of the matter at hand.
“The Committee may reconsider the need to maintain the request for provisional measures once the State party’s observations have been received.”
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