Charlie Gard 14

[GabsAlot]

This is a thread following the legal and ethical questions raised by the recent court case involving Charlie Gard.

Please could we refrain from insulting or otherwise "bashing" his parents. It isn't in the spirit of Mumsnet and will get the threads removed.

Please could we also remember that at the heart of this case is a terminally ill baby and his heartbroken parents. There are those participating in and watching this thread for whom these issues are painful. Please let's try and be mindful of them when we post. This isn't a place for name calling or trivialising the very real pain they feel. Many parents of severely disabled children are on here.

Lastly, here are some hopefully useful reference points of facts surrounding the case.

13 July GOSH position statement on latest hearing (includes update on Charlie's condition):
www.gosh.nhs.uk/file/23611/download?token=aTPZchww

7 July GOSH statement on Charlie:
www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/latest-press-releases/latest-statement-charlie-gard

June 2017 Supreme Court decision:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6rPmvGlNhA&app=desktop

May 2017 Court of Appeal Decision:
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2017/410.html

April 2017 High Court Decision:
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2017/972.html

GOSH FAQ page on Charlie:
www.gosh.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions-about-charlie-gard-court-case

Anyway, family spokesman is really not helping with his 'cynical ploy' comment. Does anyone know if it was the UKIP bloke or another 'spokesperson'?

Based on the fact that it's like watching somebody who believes he is the Shaq of reading the public mood and responding appropriately, while merrily slam dunking at the wrong end of the court..... I'd say it was a strong possibility.

Oh no, I just had a thought. If you think CA will react badly to the judge finding in GOSHs favour, imagine that reaction plus a family member being found in contempt of court for the SM commenting!

I do find this very concerning. Them on mentality is frightening- the kind of thing that doesn't die down until the baying mass have had their fill. I do worry that will come at the expense of children being treated at GOSH and other bereaved parents. This must stop now.

Laura Gard video shows that the hospital is quiet on a Saturday evening. In the week during the day that area is very busy.
The rally on Monday is at queens square which is very busy. A few weeks ago they delivered a petition to the hospital. The media filmed them from a park round the corner from the main entrance. A park which is visited by many patients and visitors from GOSH.

Some of this damage could be mitigated by CY telling her SIL to take down the FB page.

This family is clearly badly advised and this spokesperson ends up just making it a hundred times worse.

This is the backlash writ large that was predicted many threads ago.

I do think that the full force of the court system should be thrown at people who are whipping up hatred online. It is abhorrent to be whipping up a mob at a time like this. Who ever is responsible for admining the CA page needs to take steps to calm things down.

I hope that the family are spending the weekend before court with Charlie and actually having quality time with him and whenever it comes I hope there is enough of a relationship between family and GOSH that he has a peaceful and dignified death. What his parents are going through is of course terrible, the worst possible thing to happen but nothing can change the outcome now. Fighting it can't help. Charlie needs all their energy now.

Oh Jeremy Cunt's Twitter has suddenly started working, has it?

Just so I understand, other parent have commented on the parents behaviour but the comments have been deleted?

Signing into to the new thread. Tx OP

I'm also a bit dubious about Laura Gard's video. Lots of footage of the empty streets around the hospital entrance, getting responses such as 'Where are all the protestors then? GOSH are lying'. Pretty sure it was deliberate.

The video was posted at what, 9pm on a Saturday night? From what I've seen of CA they are mostly youngish mums with small children or live outside of London, so it's completely likely that there are no protesters there right now but it doesn't mean that they weren't there earlier. To me it's another disingenuous move. On the face of it the family are saying all the right things (I applaud them for that as they seem to have some influence with their barmy supporters) but as has been said previously it doesn't take away from the actions of the admins of the group in the past.

Yes, Nick I saw a comment from a father of a patient in PICU. He outline why the other parents had made a complaint. I imagine it is very tense in there at the moment.

Smiley and Maryz I agree. The OP puts the guidelines down well to be able to talk about this case without deletion. I agree its not easy under the facts and circumstances, but its worth limiting that one aspect of discussion to be able to go on discussing the many, many more aspects involved in this case, particularly with the case coming up in 24 hours.

I do wonder why his parents are even looking at social media this weekend when there is a chance that it could be their last one?? I get the feeling that there is a real turning of the tide on this case now, and it's going to be so hard for the Judge next week given the height of public interest in the case.............

Sigh. Sorry, that was a reply to about three pages ago, I lost ten minutes wrangling the puppy.

Stitch they were posted within the poster comments on the latest GOSH post, I couldn't find them just now but sos says they have been deleted.

There's a lot of sense being spoken on the comments, I've liked a few.

I feel for the family, but this has spiralled completely out of control. It's really made me question the nature and value of social media. It's sad that my thoughts on the case are now regarding the parents and their pages, rather than that poor little innocent laying in limbo

Curious... what do you all think can be learnt from this entire process - what changes need to be made

I think judges will be more likely to impose very strict restrictions on reporting of cases of this type, at the very least requiring reports to be heavily anonymised: Child A, in an unnamed hospital. Restrictions to apply to all parties involved.

I think we don't know enough about what has gone on behind the scenes to form any opinion about that, and possibly will never know, due to doctors' and lawyers' obligations to maintain confidentiality.

I read some of the comments on The Sun's Facebook post. Nowhere NEAR the usual amount of CA frothing on there. Really, really hope the tide is turning now - this has been a truly dreadful shitstorm. So many people online forgetting that there's a real baby at the heart of this, and not just a photo of one.

i dunno stitich prob!