Highest court to approve life-sustaining measures
In the court dispute over the terminally ill Archie, the parents of the twelve-year-old asked the Supreme Court to continue life-sustaining measures. The Supreme Court in London confirmed on Tuesday that a corresponding application had been received. A committee will now examine it. Courts had previously decided several times that the doctors were allowed to let the boy die.
On Monday, an appeals court rejected an appeal by a UN committee to extend the measures beyond 1 p.m. Tuesday. The twelve-year-old suffered severe brain injuries in a domestic accident in April – possibly during an internet test of courage. He has been in a coma ever since.
The case is reminiscent of similar disputes over terminally ill children in Great Britain. The financially squeezed British health service tends to withdraw life support much sooner than would be the case in Germany. What is in the best interest of the patient is often decided by courts on the recommendation of physicians. (dpa)
