Parents lose Court of Appeal fight over baby Charlie's treatment

A UK couple who want to take their sick baby son to the USA for treatment have lost a Court of Appeal fight.

Parents lose Court of Appeal fight over baby Charlie's treatment

A UK couple who want to take their sick baby son to the USA for treatment have lost a Court of Appeal fight.

Appeal judges said evidence showed that nine-month-old Charlie Gard, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, would not benefit from a proposed therapy trial.

Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, said a therapy trial in the USA would not cause significant harm and was their only remaining hope.

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, had been against the idea.

They said therapy proposed by a doctor in America was experimental and would not help. They said life-support treatment should stop.

A High Court judge last month ruled against a trip to America and in favour of Great Ormond Street doctors.

Mr Justice Francis concluded that life-support treatment should end and said Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity

Charlie's parents, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, asked three Court of Appeal judges to overturn Mr Justice Francis's decision.

But Lord Justice McFarlane, Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Sales, who analysed evidence at a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Tuesday, have upheld the ruling.

Lord Justice McFarlane praised Charlie's parents' composure and dignity and said: "My heart goes out to them."

But he suggested that the couple's criticisms of Mr Justice Francis's ruling were ill-founded.

He said Mr Justice Francis had based decisions on "the core evidence".

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