A doctor has agreed a baby in a "right-to-life" legal row may be able to interact - but any mental development would only make his fate more tragic. The paediatric neurologist told the High Court the severely disabled child, Baby RB, would remain in a "no chance" situation even if he developed further. He questioned the life the boy would lead if he was capable of cognitive function but physically so disabled.
Sally Roberts, 37, is opposed to her son Neon receiving radiotherapy treatment for a brain tumour, and disappeared with him on Sunday. Police launched a nationwide hunt for the pair after they disappeared from Tiverton, Devon. They were found by officers in Sussex. Devon and Cornwall police said: "Emergency protection care has been put in place and Neon's welfare will be considered in the High Court." Mrs Roberts was in the middle of a court battle with the child’s father Ben Roberts, an IT consultant, from Knightsbridge, London, who agrees with doctors that Neon’s chances of survival will be greatly increased with treatment. Mr Justice Hogg, at the High Court, took the unusual step to relax reporting restrictions to allow identification of the child as doctors said that without speedy treatment his chances will be "dramatically reduced".
A doctor has said that a baby in a "right-to-life" legal row has the potential to communicate and even operate a wheelchair in years to come. The paediatric neurologist, Professor Fenella Kirkham, told the High Court that Baby RB had the normal intelligence of a one-year-old. She said he was likely to develop language recognition skills and he may be better off at home. The boy's father is fighting an attempt by the hospital to end life support.
Twenty-five years ago it was common practice to bring about the deaths of some children with learning disabilities or physical impairments. This paper considers a small number of landmark cases in the early 1980s that confronted this practice. These cases illustrate a process by which external forces (social, philosophical, political, and professional) moved through the legal system to effect a profound change outside that system – primarily in the (then) largely closed domain of medical conduct/practice. These cases are considered from a socio-legal perspective. In particular, the paper analyses the reasons why they surfaced at that time, the social and political contexts that shaped the judgments, and their legacy.
A judge has postponed a decision on whether a mother should be allowed to prevent her son from receiving radiotherapy for brain cancer. Sally Roberts, 37, has been told seven-year-old Neon could die if he did not receive the treatment. She said she feared the treatment could do long-term harm. At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Bodey said he would rule at a hearing beginning on 18 December - unless agreement could be reached beforehand. During the Saturday morning hearing, he said that although he had intended to rule on the matter, developments had "changed the medical landscape".
Hannah Jones has refused the heart transplant that could save her life. But is a 13-year-old too young to make that decision? Or is she the only person who can?
A father is fighting a hospital's attempt to withdraw support keeping his baby son alive. The one-year-old, known as Baby RB for legal reasons, was born with a rare, genetic muscle condition that makes it hard for him to breathe independently. His parents are going to the High Court - the mother is reportedly supporting the hospital's bid. The father's lawyers argue that the boy's brain is unaffected, meaning he can see, hear, interact and play. Despite having to remain in hospital and being dependent on a ventilator to breathe, he enjoys having stories read to him and listening to music, they say. The lawyers are submitting video footage to the court, which they say shows him playing with his toys. But the hospital says that Baby RB's quality of life is so low that it would not be in his best interests to try to save him. Baby RB was born with congenital myasthenic syndrome and has been in hospital since birth.