Terminally Ill Baby Involved in Legal Battle Between Parents, British Health Officials, and Italian Government Passes Away
LONDON — The heart-wrenching legal battle involving the parents of a terminally ill baby, British health officials, and the Italian government, has come to a tragic end as the infant has passed away, Christian Concern, a group supporting her family, announced on Monday.
Christian Concern reported that Indi Gregory, just 8 months old, passed away in a hospice on Monday morning after her life support was withdrawn the previous day.
The baby had been suffering from brain damage as a result of a rare condition known as mitochondrial disease.
While her doctors recommended removing life support to allow her to die in a hospital or hospice, Indi’s parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, fought for continued life support in the hopes of potentially prolonging her life through experimental treatments. The Italian government even sought permission for her to be treated at Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome and granted the baby Italian citizenship.
However, doctors argued that Indi was not conscious of her surroundings and was in distress, and believed she should be allowed to pass away peacefully. Their repeated attempts, supported by Christian Concern, to challenge the doctors’ decision were rejected by British judges.
In an emotional statement on Monday, the baby’s father criticized the courts for refusing to allow her to die at home. “Claire and I are angry, heartbroken, and ashamed,” Gregory said. “They did succeed in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul.”
This case is the most recent in a series of legal disputes in the U.K. between parents and doctors over the treatment of terminally ill children. British judges have consistently sided with doctors when it comes to the best interests of the child, even if parents object to a proposed course of treatment.
Last Friday, Court of Appeal Justice Peter Jackson lamented the “extremely challenging” position doctors were put in as a result of the legal battles, decrying what he described as “manipulative litigation tactics” aimed at frustrating orders made by judges after careful consideration.
Italian Premier Giorgio Meloni expressed his condolences in a social media post, bidding the baby Godspeed. “We did everything we could, everything possible,” wrote Meloni. “Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
