Charlie Gard judges rule terminally ill tot must be given life support for another three weeks while court decides on trial treatment
Parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates want to take him for treatment in the States, but docs argue he should be allowed to 'die with dignity'
DOCTORS will continue giving life-support to terminally ill tot Charlie Gard for three weeks as European judges deliberate over his heartbreaking case.
Parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates want 10-month-old Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, to undergo a therapy trial in the US.
Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, where Charlie is being cared for, say therapy proposed by a doctor in the US is experimental and will not help.
A long-running legal battle has ended up in a European Court of Human Rights hearing in Strasbourg, where today judges ordered treatment to continue while they delberate on the "priority" case.
"In light of the exceptional circumstances of this case, the court has already accorded it priority and will treat the application with the utmost urgency," a spokeswoman said.
The announcement came after Chris and Connie released two touching new photos.
One shows dad Chris celebrating Father's Day yesterday. The other shows Charlie ready to go to America clutching his passport and visa.
Chris said: "Yesterday was the day I feared I'd never see. It was wonderful to celebrate my first father's day with my son.
"The day Charlie was born was by far the best day of my life. From the moment the midwife lifted him up and I saw him for the very first time, I knew that I would love that little boy with all my heart until my very last breath.
"On that day I didn't think it was possible that my love for him could possibly get any more intense but since that day I have fallen in love with him more and more each day."
most read in news
A High Court judge ruled in April that little Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity.
The ECHR hearing was told the parents have threatened to report doctors to the Crown Prosecution Service if treatment is stopped.
Barrister Katie Gollop QC, who heads Great Ormond Street's legal team, told justices that doctors treating Charlie are in an "invidious position".
Ms Gollop said Charlie is connected to a ventilator which ensures he continues to breathe and she indicated doctors would appreciate guidance relating to specific treatment.
She said Charlie might need antibiotics if he picks up an infection, or he might need resuscitation if he suffers a heart attack.
She also said there could be problems with the ventilator tube.
Charlie's mother, who was at the Supreme Court hearing with Mr Gard, became distressed as Ms Gollop outlined doctors' concerns.
Speaking before the hearing today, Chris said: "He's my boy. He's strong, he's beautiful and I'm immensely proud of him. If I could swap places with him, I would do it in a heartbeat.
"I would die for that boy without a moments hesitation. He's my world.
"Charlie deserves his chance. Charlie needs this medication and if he gets it, I truly believe that it will work and I dream of bringing my boy back and putting him in front of all the people who gave up on him and thought he wasn't worth saving and saying they were wrong.
"They were wrong to give up on him, to underestimate him. He has defied the odds so far and I believe he will continue to defy the odds should he be given the chance. All he needs is that chance. I will never give up on him.
"I will make it my life's work to protect him and look after him. We understand that they don't want to treat him here but to prevent me from taking my boy to a hospital that want to try and save his life will not only kill Charlie, it'll feel a death sentence for me and Connie too.
"He's our boy not theirs and we feel insulted as parents that they are taking this chance away from us... we have nothing but his best interests in forefront of our minds."
Connie added: "When I heard the European Court of Human Rights were going to consider our case and had ordered doctors to continue life support, my first thought was Chris would see his first Father's Day with Charlie."
Three Court of Appeal judges upheld that ruling and three Supreme Court justices dismissed a further challenge by the couple.
Mr Justice Francis made a ruling after a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
He heard that Charlie, who was born on August 4 last year, had a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
Specialists in the US have offered a therapy called nucleoside.
Lawyers representing Charlie's parents say parents should be free to make decisions about their children's treatment unless any proposed treatment poses a risk of significant harm.