Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jun 04, 2025

Archie Battersbee: Who decides when life support ends?

Archie Battersbee: Who decides when life support ends?

Cases like Archie Battersbee's are extremely rare. But when disagreements occur over whether a child's life support should end, they present terrible anguish for those involved, as well as lengthy court battles.

Tragically, for a small number of children who become critically ill each year, medicine reaches its limits, says Prof Dominic Wilkinson, an expert in medical ethics, and Consultant Neonatologist at the University of Oxford.

"For children like Archie, doctors cannot make them better, and advanced medical techniques and technologies may end up doing more harm than good. Sometimes, all medicine can do is to prolong the inevitable."

Prof Wilkinson says that in the vast majority of cases, parents and doctors are able to come together to agree on what would be best for a seriously ill child. Sometimes medical teams may need external help to reach an agreement.

"For example, they may draw on a clinical ethics committee, or independent mediation, or may seek second opinions from specialists in other hospitals.

"In a tiny proportion of cases, if parents and doctors cannot agree what would be best for a child who is stuck on life support in an intensive care unit, the right thing to do is to ask the court to help."

The court does not side with either doctors or parents. It focuses exclusively on what would be best for the child.

Archie's case had been heard in several top courts. His doctors said it would be in his best interests for treatment to be withdrawn.

The 12-year-old had spent months in hospital on life support, since being discovered unconscious at his home in April. The medics treating him at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel said he had suffered such devastating brain injury at the time of the incident that there is no way he would recover.

Archie, pictured with his mother Hollie Dance, who asked for more time to allow her son to recover


Archie's parents said they do not understand the rush to end his life-support.

So who should decide that medical care should stop, and how?

Palliative care professor Baroness Finlay of Llandaff hopes independent mediators can be used in future as "adversarial conflict doesn't help anybody".

Speaking to Times Radio this week, she said: "I'm hoping that by the end of the summer we'll have an inquiry into different ways of handling these very, very difficult cases so that there is independent mediation.

"And I say independent because, if it's supplied by the hospital, or it's supplied by the parents, one side may feel mistrustful of the other.

"But to be in the situation of adversarial conflict doesn't help anybody. The parents don't want to go to court. The doctors don't want to go to court. The managers don't want to go to court.

"My worry is that these cases are going forward to court too quickly and too early, and that we need an alternative way of managing the communication between the doctors and the parents, and sometimes others in the family as well."

What that independent mediation might look like is unclear.

Dr Daniel Sokol, medical ethicist and barrister, said sometimes the courts must be the independent adjudicator. But that doesn't stop society drawing judgements.

"When these cases reach the press and social media, a distorted, sometimes one-sided picture of what is really happening is painted," said Dr Sokol.

"Without reading the court judgments or knowing the full details, people suddenly become experts in medical ethics, commenting aggressively on the rights and wrongs of the case, blaming the clinicians, the hospital, the relatives or whoever holds a different position to their own.

"This can cause real harm to the targets of their abuse and may dissuade clinicians from challenging parents in the future, even though the latter may be making decisions contrary to the interests of vulnerable patients.

"I have been told by paediatric doctors that they are reluctant to go against the views of parents, given the torrent of abuse they received in previous high-profile cases."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
×