The plug has not yet been pulled; life support for Archie Battersbee is still in place. His parents have had until 9 am on 3 August to file an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as well, after the one already addressed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Christian Legal Center lawyers’ petition avoided the suspension order, scheduled for 11 am the same day.
The story of the 12-year-old boy, who has been in a coma since April 7 after an accident in his Southend home, is now widely known, and after the rulings issued by the British High Court, the Strasbourg judgment proves decisive in giving the boy and his family the time they need to reach natural death, accompanied only by the support of feeding and ventilation. Or perhaps even a miracle.