Alfie Evans is 'struggling' amid legal battle on life-support treatment
Alfie Evans, the toddler at the centre a heartbreaking life-support treatment dispute, is reportedly “struggling”.
Court of Appeal judges are currently analysing the most recent stage of the life or death row over the 23-month-old boy at a hearing in London.
Alfie’s parents Tom Evans and Kate James, both in their early 20s and from Liverpool, launched an appeal following a ruling by a High Court judge late on Tuesday.
A lawyer representing the couple said Alfie was “struggling”.
During a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in Manchester Mr Justice Hayden decided that Alfie should not be allowed to leave Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool in order to travel to a hospital in Rome.
Life-support treatment being provided to Alfie by doctors was withdrawn on Monday evening.
The toddler confounded medical specialists’ expectations and defied predictions by continuing to breathe, according to his father.
Appeals have been made on Alfie’s Army Facebook page for ventilation equipment to be brought to the hospital.
Alfie’s aunt Sarah Evans wrote: “Please continue to pray Alfie is still fighting.”
Supporters were later seen running into the hospital entrance with what appeared to be medical equipment.
Despite already losing two legal battles, in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, they remain defiant in the bid to give their young son another chance at life.
In February, Mr Justice Hayden ruled that doctors at Alder Hey could stop treating Alfie against the wishes of his parents following hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London and Liverpool.
Specialists at Alder Hey said life-support treatment should stop and the judge said he accepted medical evidence showing that further treatment was futile.
Flying Alfie to a foreign hospital would be wrong and pointless, Mr Justice Hayden said, and Court of Appeal judges upheld the decision.
Supreme Court justices and ECHR judges refused to intervene.
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The James couple then said that their son Alfie was being wrongly “detained”, a claim that was dismissed by Mr Justice Hayden.
Appeal judges have upheld Mr Justice Hayden’s decision and Supreme Court justices and ECHR judges said they would not intervene.
Mr Justice Hayden then finalised plans for withdrawing treatment, which will allow Alfie’s life to end.
Judicial heads announced earlier this week that Sir Andrew would take over from Sir James Munby, who is retiring, as the most senior family court judge in England and Wales in a few months’ time.
An Italian embassy representative was in court, according to a barrister representing Alfie’s father.
Paul Diamond said an air ambulance was on standby at the “request of the Pope”, adding: “My general conversation with Mr Evans is ‘save my boy’.”
Mr Diamond said: “He would leave no stone unturned… He is clutching at straws.”
