Terminally ill girl’s body to be frozen

A terminally ill 14-year-old girl who wanted her body to be frozen in the hope that she could be brought back to life won a historic legal fight shortly before dying.

Her divorced parents had become embroiled in a dispute relating to whether her remains should be taken to a specialist facility in the United States and cryogenically preserved.

The girl, who lived in the London area with her mother and had a rare form of cancer, had taken legal action.

She had asked a High Court judge to rule that her mother – who supported her wish to be cryogenically preserved – should be the only person allowed to make decisions about the disposal of her body.

Mr Justice Peter Jackson had made the ruling she wanted in October and lawyers say her remains have now been taken to the USA and frozen.

The judge had said that nothing about the case could be reported while the teenager was alive, after she said media coverage would distress her.

He also ruled no one involved could be identified – again in line with the girl’s wishes.

The teenager had been represented by lawyers and had written to the judge explaining that she wanted a chance to “live longer”.

The judge said he had been moved by the “valiant way” in which she had faced her “predicament”.

He said the girl’s application was the only one of its kind to have come before a court in England and Wales – and probably anywhere else.