Archbishop: 'When life is decided by court, humanity is defeated'

Source: Vatican News, CBCEW

Twelve year old Archie Battersbee died on Saturday after doctors removed his life-sustaining treatment following a High Court decision.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, took to Twitter on Saturday to express his sadness. He said: "I pray for #ArchieBattersbee and his family. When the life of someone is decided by a court, humanity is defeated: @PagliaAbp @monspaglia".

Archie's parents, Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance, had fought a drawn-out court battle with his doctors to keep him on life support.

Archie had been in hospital since 7 April when his mother found him lying unconscious at their Essex home after an incident suspected to be part of an online challenge. He was transferred from Southend to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel the next day. But doctors concluded that he was "brain-stem dead".

On 13 June, a High Court judge ruled that Archie was "dead" and said that his life support could be withdrawn.

His parents tried to appeal the decision but three justices at the Court of Appeal rejected their plea. On 28 July, the Supreme Court ruled out intervening in the case, and upheld the Court of Appeal decision.

Archie's parents also asked the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights to intervene but without success.

His life support was withdrawn around 10am on Saturday, and he died a couple hours later at 12.15pm, according to Archie's mother.

Archbishop Paglia's tweet was sent a few hours after his death and just one day after Bishop John Sherrington released a statement expressing support for Archie and his parents. See: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45229

"Whilst the Catholic Church recognises that there are situations when medical treatment to sustain life is no longer obligatory if there is no hope of recovery," Bishop Sherrington noted, "ordinary treatment and care should be provided appropriate to the condition of the patient."

In 2007, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a statement approved by Pope Benedict XVI affirming that the "administration of food and water even if by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life." See: www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070801_risposte-usa_en.html