Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans: Their Medico-Legal Journeys
Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans: Their Medico-Legal Journeys

Author(s): Kartina Aisha Choong
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Ethics / Practical Philosophy
Published by: Trivent Publishing
Keywords: Charlie Gard; Alfie Evans; Paediatrics; NHS; Law; Medicine; Medical Ethics; Theology; Health Policy and Management;Nursing and History;
Summary/Abstract: Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans were two desperately ill children born to young first-time parents. They were treated at two renowned publicly-funded paediatric hospitals in England, namely the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) in London and the Aldey Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (Alder Hey Hospital) in Liverpool. The cases first captured public attention when both sets of parents vehemently opposed the court declarations sought by the hospitals that it would be in the infants’ best interests to have their life-sustaining treatment (LST) withdrawn after the treating medical teams decided that the continuation of LST was futile and may even lead to the prolongation of pain and suffering. In each case, the declaration was granted by the High Court. In both, the parents appealed to the highest court in the land as well as to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. However, none of the appeals managed to overturn the initial court declaration, and both infants died shortly after their LST was discontinued. This context-setting chapter chronicles their medico-legal journeys and concludes by reflecting on their legacies for similar cases in the near future.

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