Indi Gregory, a terminally ill eight-month-old British girl who in recent days became the subject of a legal battle between her parents and the hospital, has died. She was disconnected from life support and taken to hospice. In recent days, her parents have been unsuccessfully fighting in court to continue treatment.
Indi suffered from mitochondrial disease, which prevents the body’s cells from producing energy, and was incurable, according to the British Health Service. Staff at the Queen’s Medical Center (QMC) in Nottingham found there was nothing they could do for her and asked and obtained court permission to end life support.
On Saturday evening, the girl was disconnected from life support and taken to a hospice, where she died on the night from Sunday to Monday.
“Indi’s life ended at 01:45. Claire and I are furious, devastated and ashamed. Not only did the NHS and the courts deprive her of the chance to live longer, but they also deprived her of the dignity of passing away in the family home where she belonged,” he said. the girl’s father, Dean Gregory, on behalf of himself and the girl’s mother.
She received Italian citizenship
The girl’s parents, who wanted the treatment to continue, appealed to the court several times, but they failed to obtain a change in the original decision to consent to disconnecting the equipment or to transport her to Italy. The country’s authorities granted the girl citizenship at the beginning of the week and offered treatment. The court also did not agree to transfer the little patient home so that she would die there and not in a hospital or hospice. Each time, the court ruled that this was not in the girl’s best interests as it would mean prolonging her suffering.
Read also: Eight-month-old Indi is to be disconnected from the equipment. Her parents want to take her to Rome
Christian Concern, a Christian organization supporting Indi’s parents, reported early on Sunday afternoon that the girl had been disconnected from life support and taken to a hospice.
The case of Indi Gregory is another example in Great Britain of a court dispute between doctors and parents of a seriously ill child about saving the child and the right to treatment. Under UK legislation, the key issue in such situations is what is best for the child, even if the parents disagree.
Main photo source: estherca/Shutterstock
