I think @BigPinkBall makes an essentially important point about children, under British law, being afforded the same rights and considerations as adults. This matters, imho, because, after having read the Judiciary’s documents, there’s a very strong sense that Alfie’s parents have been struggling with the reality that their needs and rights have to come after the needs and rights of their child. This frustration on their part is totally understandable when grief, a sense of a loss of control and distress are playing strongly on perspective and reasoning.
There’s little doubt from the Judiciary documents from February that the father, in particular, either can not accept or just will not accept the heart-breaking futility found by pursuing further lines of treatment other than palliative. A good number of extremely skilled and knowledgeable consultants have concluded that Alfie’s neurological degeneration is unremitting and only worsening. The health of his brain is already at a stage where seeing, thinking, feeling, hearing and perceiving are absent. It has been very simply but effectively explained that any responses Alfie does exhibit are triggered reflexively via autonomous reactions in the spinal cord. It would seem that, for whatever reasons, the father is interpreting these reflexes as a sign of higher brain activity or as an improvement in Alfie’s condition. To demonstrate just how bad the state of Alfie’s condition is now - his thalamus and many other essential brain sections have been entirely physically destroyed by his neurodegenerative condition. If the respiration he was receiving were to be removed he would die almost immediately, according to the report from the Judiciary.
It’s one thing for a parent to be put in to this impossible position, but in my view the actions of the protestors is frankly immoral and opportunist. Almost all closely involved in Alfie’s case have said or hinted that his parents would be much less confused, agitated and angry, and more able to think clearly and carefully about Alfie’s interests if these protestors would leave them, and the other patients and patient’s families in peace. This is to say nothing of the appalling and unpardonable abuse targeted at nurses, doctors and hospital staff - many of whom have no part in this particular case and are simply trying to do a difficult job to the best of their abilities.
Petitions like the one above serve no-one apart from the people signing it. It makes them feel important and self-righteous whilst having no real effect on the good care of this child. It’s only function is to make people reactive and indignant - and there’s already too much of those particular emotions involved in this situation as it is.