On Monday night, Alfie Evans’ life support was turned off at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, England, but he has been surviving for more than 24 hours without it.
Doctors were baffled that Alfie was still fighting for his life even after his ventilator was shut off. A last-ditch emergency legal appeal was done on Tuesday afternoon to allow Alfie to be flown to Rome for treatment as requested by his parents.
However, they received news that the judge ruled to deny this request.
New: Alfie Evans family has lost its legal challenge to fly him to Italy for treatment in what judge calls the “final chapter in the case of this extraordinary little boy”
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) April 24, 2018
Alfie has been without oxygen, food, and water per the hospital’s denial and his parents have been forced to give the child mouth-to-mouth. After Alfie’s ‘lips turned blue’, his parents are doing this last measure to help him with his breathing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh9RLiLD1Yx/?taken-by=alfiesarmy
Tom Evans, Alfie’s father, has expressed his heartbreaking comments outside of Alder Hey hospital. “We were doing what a nurse should have been doing to sustain his life,” he said. “Now they are saying that he looks really good but we all know he should be in Italy right now.”
The Christian Legal Centre, which represents Alfie’s parents, said: “The Italian ambassador has urgently contacted the court with a request for the Italian government to be allowed to intervene in the case and seek the return of their citizen Alfie Evans to Italy.” A military air ambulance is also being made available to take Alfie to Rome.
The hospital and medical staff at Alder Hey Hospital claim that giving the child treatment or putting him on life-support is not in the child’s “best interest”.
Though Alfie was given Italian citizenship so he could be treated in Rome, UK Courts have deemed that treating the child would be futile as he has a rare degenerative disease and it would be inhumane and unkind to keep him alive.
Around more than 200 protesters are still outside of Alder Hey hospital to show their support for the Evans family.
Many netizens also took to Twitter to express their opinion on this state-mandated death.
The British courts are holding an Italian citizen hostage and starving him to death
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 24, 2018
Let him live. #AflieEvans
— Brent Mazur ?? (@Brent_Mazur) April 24, 2018
Just to recap the Alfie Evans situation:
The State has decided it will no longer treat him.
The State has decided he cannot be taken elsewhere for treatment.
The State has decided he cannot leave the hospital.
Makes one wonder how the State views its citizens.
— Jen Monroe (@thatjenmonroe) April 24, 2018
Sick what the UK is doing to Alfie Evans. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach.
— Pardes Seleh (@PardesSeleh) April 24, 2018
A medical expert has said that Alfie might still live for 10 days without his ventilator. But, for many people around the world, the ruling to take him off life-support and not provide him treatment or access to it outside the country is a horrifying experience to endure.