To ask people to PLEASE not picket hospitals?

[SerfTerf]

Or consider any kind of direct action against a hospital because of decisions concerning any individual patient.

It's irresponsible.

I'm really tired of people saying I would do the same thing in the parents' situation. I have a lot of sympathy for the loss of their son but I would never behave in this way.
The whole campaign has been really misguided ... surely someone close to them should've been the voice of reason and advised the parents to stop a long time ago.

^^ absolutely this.

Lochnessmonster so they are holding him hostage on the off chance they try and save their baby?

"Lochnessmonster so they are holding him hostage on the off chance they try and save their baby?"

No. They are trying to save him more pain and suffering.

When you say stuff like that, what do you think the motivation of the medical staff is? They spend their lives trying to save desperately ill babies. Why do they suddenly not want to save this one?

poppop a dog wouldn't have been treated in this way.

They CAN'T save their baby. The best doctors in the world have admitted they can't save him either.

I hope none of you have to go through anything near what these poor parents are going through.
You can sit in your ivory tower thinking you know best but if it was your little boy your reaction may be a little different.

My family has been in a very similar situation, as will many. It's not an easy thing when a child is on life support with no traces of brain activity, but we pushed through it and did what is right. We let him go with dignity and peace. And I will never forget the kindness and the utter sadness of the doctors and nurses who couldn't save him.

Don't make grandiose assumptions about what other her people have been through.

Bold fail.

And to add, I have every sympathy with the horrible situation the parents are in. Sometimes there is just nothing more that can be done.

"You can sit in your ivory tower thinking you know best but if it was your little boy your reaction may be a little different."

Yes, it might well be. That is why I would hope that my little boy would have brave, expert and compassionate people advocating for his best interests, not mine. As Charlie has. Because that is what is important here.

The people posting threats and insults at GOSH online are unbelievably stupid, misinformed and are helping no one. I think a good lesson in life for them right now is 'don't bite the hand that feeds you'. The moment they require treatment from any of our amazing NHS hospitals they will be rushing to the doors demanding this demanding that...END OF.

I would imagine there are some unpleasant pro-life groups in there stirring the pot and mobilising the hard of thinking into action.

They'll be rubbing their grubby little mits with glee about this situation.

Daft. This is a very sad situation. I completely understand why the family want to give charlie any chance he could have but sadly i think the courts have made the right decision in this case. Wishing charlies mum and dad strength xxx

who has has his human rights taken away. There are criminals in this country who are given more rights than this baby has been given.

Really not the case. He has had his right not to suffer upheld by the court.

But this time they've got it so very wrong. The team dealing with this needs to be held accountable, or at the very least be aware that the public don't agree.

Boy, that is, just....stupid. I'm sorry, but it is. They are not wrong, and 'the public' that disagree are a bunch of untrained clueless fools.

That poor baby.

I can understand the parents.

I knew my son and daughter were going to die before they did. I was angry, so bloody angry. I attached that anger into anything and everything, and had social media been as it is now back then I may have went on and ranted and caused a shitstorm too.

Their anger comes from a dark place of grief and is completely understandable.

The keyboard warriors, however, will forget about Charlie when the next 'campaign' comes along whether its a breastfeeding woman who gets turfed out of a cafe or a child getting shouted at in a shop these people will then go on and do their thing, because that's simply how they make themselves feel important.

The parents should be listened to, be able to rant and cry and scream and say what they want and the public should come from a place of understanding and support and not get whipped up into a frenzy.

I have every sympathy for the doctors and the parents, and, of course, for Charlie in this situation.

Lochnessmonster so they are holding him hostage on the off chance they try and save their baby?

Just what do you imagine his parents can do to save their baby? There is nothing that can be done for him. Everyone agrees on that. The hospital staff have been looking after him to minimise his pain and suffering. But he has NO quality of life.

who has has his human rights taken away. There are criminals in this country who are given more rights than this baby has been given.

Don't be so ridiculous. He has a right not to suffer.

Are you really saying that if a criminal were on life support that he would be kept on it indefinitely even if there were no chance of his recovery?? Daft.

The team dealing with this needs to be held accountable, or at the very least be aware that the public don't agree.

What's it got to do with 'the public'?? It would have been much better if the public had never been allowed to get involved here. We're not doctors. We don't know enough about the case. We should leave it to the experts.

The "Right to life" loons will hijack any cause that gets their stupidity into the papers.

GOSH is just trying to limit his suffering. Extensive brain damage, tubes to breath, be fed, unable to move, see or hear. They don't know how much pain he may be in as he can't communicate.

All doctors, including in US, agree there is no hope. Prolonging his life, is prolonging his suffering with no prospect of ever experiencing anything we would associate with living a life.

I feel for the parents pain, it's horrible and the death of a child is not something anyone can get over, or understand the pain of unless they have been through it. But they have turned this into a media circus and it's becoming dangerous.

And I don't think the hospital can trust the parents.

But the parents cannot trust the hospital. Medical staff have too much authority. If you have capacity, you can make decisions regarding your own life. Doctors will try and persuade you otherwise, and you have to have your wits about you to fight them, but the decision is yours.
Trouble is, a baby does not have capacity. Parents should be able to replace that capacity, but doctors can override the parents' decisions as they see fit, and that is wrong. Any protest against this abuse of power has my support.

So to be clear angel, you literally think parents should be able to do exactly as they like with their children's medical treatment, with no oversight at all? Does this include total opposition to any medical treatment ever? Experimenting on them? Do tell.

LittleBoo; are you aware that once he had all the medical info EVEN THE DR IN AMERICA SAID HE COULD NOT HELP CHARLIE?

People are so casual with actual facts in the face of hysteria whipped up on Facebook.

Trouble is, a baby does not have capacity. Parents should be able to replace that capacity, but doctors can override the parents' decisions as they see fit, and that is wrong. Any protest against this abuse of power has my support.

Except parents do not always make decisions in a child's best interests. That's why independent guardians are appointed, as was the case here, to speak for the child, not the parents or the doctors. And as we've seen here the doctors do not have all the power, hence this case was escalated all the way to the European court.

So to be clear angel, you literally think parents should be able to do exactly as they like with their children's medical treatment,

Not necessarily, but the principle is there. Parents should generally have the rights by default, and doctors need their wings clipping.

Except parents do not always make decisions in a child's best interests.

Best interests should rest with the parents. Not independent guardians, not doctors, not courts. That is my belief. People arguing with me will not change that view.

Which is why a child in this situation has an appointed guardian to represent them in court Angel, the parents cannot represent them due to conflicted interests.

This is not about what the parents want, it's about what's best for the child.

FishInAWetSuit: thank you for sharing. Your post leads the way in helping people (if they actually pay attention to what is going on) understand this issue.

Sorry that you had to go through that.