Charlie Gard’s parents say: ‘There’s nothing to lose. He deserves a chance’
● Parents vow to keep fighting for right to get baby treatment abroad
The parents of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard have vowed to keep fighting for him to receive treatment.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard spoke near Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) yesterday afternoon.
The 11-month-old’s parents have been in a protracted legal battle with hospital doctors, who said the experimental treatment the couple have argued Charlie should receive abroad will not help.
Calling for her son to be given the medication, Ms Yates told reporters: “He’s our son, he’s our flesh and blood. We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life.”
She added: “There is nothing to lose, he deserves a chance.”
Ms Yates said the oral medicine they want for Charlie has an “up to 10 per cent chance of working” and has “no known major side effects”.
Mr Gard said there is no evidence Charlie has “catastrophic brain damage”.
He added: “He should have had this chance a long time ago now.
“They said that it wasn’t fair to leave him on the ventilator for three months for a treatment they didn’t think was going to work.
“He’s now been left for seven months with no treatment.”
Ms Yates added: “If he’s still fighting, we’re still fighting.”
The couple were speaking after two United States congressmen said they would table legislation to give Charlie and his family US resident status in a bid to allow them to travel there for experimental treatment.
Justice Secretary David Lidington said the government had “no role to play” in the case.
Asked if it was right that judges could overrule the wishes of Charlie’s parents, Mr Lidington said: “It is right that judges interpret the law, independently and dispassionately.”
Mr Gard said: “Let’s get Charlie the treatment he needs.”
The couple delivered a petition to the hospital of more than 350,000 signatures, calling on doctors at GOSH to allow Charlie to receive experimental treatment abroad.
Supporters, some of whom had travelled from the US, held banners and placards reading “Save Charlie Gard”.
The Rev Patrick Mahoney, addressing supporters and media before the family statement, said he was pleased to be able to visit Charlie a day earlier. Gregory Mertz of prolife organisation Citizen Go helped organise the petition and said it gained signatures from countries including Italy and Brazil.