Archie Battersbee’s mother, Hollie Dance, said her son died at 12:15 p.m., about two hours after the hospital began withdrawing treatment. British courts had rejected both the family’s bid to extend treatment and a request to move Archie to a hospice, saying neither move was in the child’s best interests. “I’m the proudest mom in the world,” Dance said as she stood outside the hospital and cried. “Such a beautiful little boy and he fought to the end.” Undated family photo of Archie Battersbee, whose parents have applied to the European Court of Human Rights in an attempt to delay the withdrawal of his life support. Hollie Dance / AP The legal battle is the latest in a series of highly publicized British cases in which parents and doctors have fought over who is better able to make decisions about a child’s medical care. This has sparked a debate about whether there is a more appropriate way to settle such disputes away from the courts. Archie was found unconscious at home with a ligature over his head on April 7. His parents believe he may have taken part in an online challenge gone wrong. Doctors concluded that Archie was dead from the strain shortly after the accident and tried to end the long list of treatments that kept him alive, including artificial respiration, medication to regulate his bodily functions and round-the-clock nursing care. But his family objected, arguing that Archie had given signs of life and would not want them to give up hope. The dispute sparked weeks of legal wrangling as Archie’s parents tried to force the hospital to continue life-sustaining treatments. Doctors at the Royal London Hospital said there was no chance of recovery and he should be left to die. After a series of courts ruled that it was in Archie’s best interests to be allowed to die, the family applied for permission to move him to a hospice. The hospital said Archie’s condition was so unstable that moving him would hasten his death. On Friday, Superior Court Judge Lucy Theis rejected the family’s request, ruling that Archie would have to remain in hospital while the treatment was withdrawn. “Their unconditional love and devotion to Archie is a golden thread running through this case,” Theis wrote in her ruling. “I hope that Archie can now be given the opportunity to die in peace, with the family that meant so much to him, as he clearly meant to them.” Archie Battersbee’s parents, Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance, leave the Royal Courts of Justice in London on July 22, 2022. Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images That ruling was carried out on Saturday after both the UK Court of Appeal and the European Court of Human Rights refused to hear the case. But Archie’s family said his death was anything but peaceful. Ella Carter, fiancee of Archie’s older brother Tom, said Archie was stable for about two hours after the hospital stopped all medication. That changed when the ventilator went off, he said. “It turned completely blue,” he said. “There is absolutely nothing decent about seeing a family member or a child suffocate. No family should ever have to go through what we went through. It’s barbaric.” Carter laid her head on Dance’s shoulder and sobbed as the two women embraced. The hospital expressed its condolences and thanked the doctors and nurses who cared for Archie. “They provided high-quality care with exceptional compassion over several months in often difficult and distressing circumstances,” said Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer of Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital. “This tragic case has not only affected his family and carers, but has touched the hearts of many across the country.” Legal experts insist cases like Archie’s are rare. However, some disputes that conflict doctors’ judgment with families’ wishes have been publicized, such as the 2017 legal battle for Charlie Gard, an infant with a rare genetic disorder. The parents fought unsuccessfully to have him undergo an experimental treatment before he died. Under British law, it is common for the courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree about a child’s medical treatment. The best interest of the child overrides the right of the parents to decide what they think is best. Ilora Finlay, a professor of palliative medicine at Cardiff University and a member of the House of Lords, said this week that she hoped the Conservative government would hold an independent inquiry into different ways of handling these cases. Resolving such disputes through an adversarial court process helps no one, he said. “Parents don’t want to go to court. Doctors don’t want to go to court. Principals don’t want to go to court,” Finlay told Times Radio. “My concern is that these cases are being brought to court too quickly and too early, and that we need an alternative way of managing communication between doctors and parents.” The difficulty for parents is that they are in shock and often want to deny that there has been a catastrophic brain injury, Finlay said. “When there’s brain damage, often their child looks intact, so their face looks like it always has,” she said. “So understanding what has happened inside the brain and the extent of the injury is something that needs to be sensitively explained to parents and that takes time.” Archie’s family were supported by Christian Concern, which campaigns on end-of-life issues and the role of religion in society. The team said it was a “privilege” to stand with the family. “The events of recent weeks raise many important issues, including questions about how death is defined, how those decisions are made and the place of the family,” said Christian Concern chief executive Andrea Williams.
