Charlotte Wyatt was born 3 months premature in October 2003 and weighing just 1lb with brain, lung and kidney damage. Since birth she has always required a constant supply of oxygen because of badly damaged lungs, and has stopped breathing several times. Each time she has been resuscitated. Late last year The Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust applied for Charlotte to be allowed to die by not resuscitating her should she stop breathing again.
The doctors who examined Charlotte for the Trust said this about Charlotte;
"[Charlotte] has life-limiting conditions and that, despite their best efforts, she has no feelings other than continuing pain. Her quality of life is both terrible and permanent and they cannot see a way in which it would significantly improve."
and
"[Charlotte] has no visual awareness and does not respond to sound... she does not respond to being cuddled and demonstrates no awareness of familiar persons."
Charlottes parents described her as "a fighter".
In October the Judge Mr Justice Hedley agreed with the NHS Trust that Charlotte should not be resuscitated again.
Today the High Court rejected the Wyatts attempt to overrule the court order to allow Charlotte to die. The Wyatts provided evidence that showed, despite the pessimistic diagnosis and predictions of Charlottes future, that Charlotte had improved considerably. She is no longer in pain, no longer needs the constant supply of oxygen, either from a mask or a head box, and she was responding to sounds and objects. She has not stopped breathing for a long time either.
What scares me most about this story is the grandmother of Charlotte. She was interviewed on BBC 5 Live shortly after the ruling and said Charlotte definitely responds to her fathers voice, and even has a favourite toy. Despite this the grandmother agrees with the judge!! Needless to say Charlottes mother does not speak to her mother.
Oh to be at their house on Christmas Day when Charlotte looks across the table and sees the grandmother who would have let her die.
The BBC has been following this story, and the report on todays ruling is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/4466855.stm
Throughout the case the BBC has constantly referred to the Wyatts as "commited christians". All the news bulletins refer to Charlotte as "brain-damaged", similar to the way Terri was portrayed, and has made absolutely no reference to Charlottes improvement.
It has accepted that Charlotte has improved considerably, despite the expert doctors testimonies, but ends the above article with this sentence trying to save medical/scientific/judicial face;
"But it now seems that Charlotte could survive for a considerable time, possibly even years, but the medical prognosis for her quality of life is bleak."
A caller to BBC 5 Live phoned into say to ignore the doctors. His son was born with a life threatening problem and was given no chance by doctors. The caller was just about to go out with his son for a pint to celebrate his sons 23rd birthday, describing his son as a "strapping young lad", who supports Tottenham Hotspur FC and loves cricket.
