Displaying items by tag: life support removal

The mother of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee is ‘devastated’ after a court ruled his life support should be removed. This was because it decided that ‘on the balance of probabilities’ Archie had died. His mother said, ‘Basing judgment on an MRI test that he is likely to be dead is not good enough.’ This is the first time someone has been declared probably dead based on an MRI test. The concept of brain death is discredited if Archie cannot be reliably diagnosed brain-dead. His mother added, ‘The hospital and judge failed to take the wishes of the family into consideration. His heart is still beating, he has gripped my hand, I know he is still in there. Archie has not been given enough time. From the beginning I have thought, “Why the rush?” Until it is God's way I won't accept he should go. I know of miracles when people have come back from being brain-dead.’