Pushing Legal and Medical Boundaries: the Case of Charlie Gard

If your child was desperately unwell, you would certainly do everything in your power to make them well again.

The British parents of baby Charlie Gard fought for months for the right to have their child given an experimental treatment for his rare genetic disorder in America. Charlie’s doctors disagreed, believing there was no hope. They wanted to remove life support and allow Charlie to die.

The case was bitterly contested over a five month period, going all the way to the High Court and attracting world wide attention in a debate over who decided when enough is enough for a very sick child.

As bio-technology continues to push back critical medical boundaries, these ethical dilemmas may become more common.

While the Charlie Gard case was going through the High Court, we discussed the issues involved with social commentator Mal Fletcher in the UK.