British-toddler Alfie Evans, whose parents fought hospital in court, dies
23-month-old British toddler Alfie Evans, who was at the centre of a long legal battle between the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and his parents Tom Evans and Kate James, died on Saturday. The life support on Evans was pulled out on Monday, after his parents lost the case in the High Court. Born on May 9, 2016, Alfie had a rare degenerative disorder.
Scans of Alfie's brains showed most of it was destroyed. According to doctors of Alder Hey Hospital, no treatment could have helped the toddler. In December 2017, Alfie's parents and the hospital disagreed over his medical treatment, setting the stage for the long legal battle. The doctors argued any treatment would be inhumane, and the Liverpool High Court agreed with them.
The parents, both in their 20s, lost legal battles in the court of appeal, Supreme Court and even the European Court of Human Rights. Alfie's case caught the Pope's attention who tweeted everything possible should be done to keep the toddler alive. Tom Evans met the Pope this month and begged him to save their son.
I am deeply moved by the death of little Alfie. Today I pray especially for his parents, as God the Father receives him in his tender embrace.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 28, 2018
During the course of the battle, the Alder Hey Hospital was subject to a barrage of attack on social media. Tom Evans, on Thursday, thanked the hospital for their dignity and professionalism. "This has been a devastating journey for them and we would ask that their privacy and the privacy of staff at Alder Hey is respected," a statement from the hospital read.
