{"id":1594691,"date":"2022-08-08T13:16:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T17:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1594691"},"modified":"2022-08-08T13:17:32","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T17:17:32","slug":"12-year-old-archie-battersbee-dies-after-uk-authorities-end-care-against-parents-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/12-year-old-archie-battersbee-dies-after-uk-authorities-end-care-against-parents-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"12-Year-Old Archie Battersbee Dies After UK Authorities End Care Against Parents\u2019 Wishes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F12-year-old-archie-battersbee-dies-after-uk-authorities-end-care-against-parents-wishes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1594691&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Even as Democrats continue working to pass a massive tax-and-spending bill that would further entrench the federal government\u2019s role in health care, a tragic story from across the Atlantic demonstrates the long-term consequences of the push for socialized medicine. Once again, British courts ended the life of a vulnerable child by denying that child \u2014 not to mention his anguished parents \u2014 treatment.<\/p>\n<p>This case involves Archie Battersbee, a 12-year-old found comatose in his home on April 7 after suffering what has been described as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/news\/18804342\/what-happened-to-archie-battersbee\/\">freak accident<\/a>.\u201d Within days of his accident, local officials with Britain\u2019s National Health Service (NHS) began the process of seeking to end all life-saving treatment, effectively condemning young Archie to a death sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Over the weekend, NHS presented Archie\u2019s heartbroken parents with a document that the parents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-11068455\/Archie-Battersbees-mother-accuses-NHS-pursuing-choreographed-execution.html\">called<\/a> a \u201cchoreographed execution.\u201d The letter outlines the process by which medical staff in the hospital would withdraw all medical care and allow Archie to die:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<p>On Monday, a British court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-gb\/entertainment\/music\/archie-battersbee-s-life-support-could-be-withdrawn-on-tuesday-as-court-rejects-delay\/ar-AA10bUOY\">ruled<\/a> that the NHS could withdraw treatment for Archie and shortly after doctors discontinued treating him on Saturday, he passed away.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The sad case of Archie Battersbee \u2014 a thriving 12-year-old just a few short months ago \u2014 represents but the latest instance of British courts allowing the country\u2019s health service to withdraw care for sick children, notwithstanding the vocal protests of family members and loved ones. Battersbee\u2019s name could join those of Alta Fixsler, Charlie Gard, and Alfie Evans, all British youth effectively condemned to death in recent years by a National Health Service that found their lives too unimportant or too costly to continue providing care.<\/p>\n<p>The way Britain has treated Archie Battersbee should outrage the public for several reasons. First, it has marginalized the role of parents, by allowing courts and health bureaucrats to override parental wishes. When commenting on the similar case of Alta Fixsler last year, an Oxford University ethicist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2021\/aug\/03\/brain-damaged-toddler-gets-visa-to-go-to-us-for-medical-assessment\">claimed<\/a> that parents \u201cdon\u2019t have an absolute right to make decisions for their children. The legal and ethical system in [the U.K.] says that the child\u2019s interests must take precedence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Civil authorities must of course guard against potential cases of child abuse or neglect. But when it comes to children like Alta Fixsler and Archie Battersbee, no one questions the parents\u2019 sincerity. Instead, because the parents have the temerity to want their child to live, NHS officials seek to overturn these parents\u2019 rights, putting them before court proceedings that amount to a real-life death panel for vulnerable children.<\/p>\n<p>Therein lies the second problem: One cannot easily separate cases like that of Archie Battersbee from the growing cost pressures on socialized medicine systems. It seems far from a coincidence that the Battersbee case and others have occurred at a time when waiting lists for many NHS services <a href=\"https:\/\/researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk\/documents\/CBP-7281\/CBP-7281.pdf\">continue to rise<\/a> due to years of slower growth in Britain\u2019s health care budget.<\/p>\n<p>A supporter of socialized medicine in the United States, Donald Berwick \u2014 who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihi.org\/about\/news\/Pages\/DonaldBerwicksServicetotheUKHonoredbyQueenElizabeth.aspx\">awarded a knighthood<\/a> for his work with Britain\u2019s NHS \u2014 infamously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2799075\/pdf\/bth06_2p035.pdf\">said<\/a> that \u201cThe decision is not whether or not we will ration care \u2014 the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.\u201d That chilling description accurately describes both the cost predicament that socialized medicine systems like Britain\u2019s NHS face and the proceedings in court over Archie Battersbee.<\/p>\n<p>At a time when the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling in <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> empowered citizens and lawmakers to build a culture of life in the 50 states, the Archie Battersbee case reminds us how far we have to go to restore and sustain that culture amidst our current Western society. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s painful to see courts and countries increasingly view human life as a disposable commodity\u2014with the sickest among us, the most at risk. All humans, born and unborn, healthy and sick, deserve equal dignity and a chance at life.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Mary Vought is the founder of Vought Strategies. You can follow her on Twitter @MaryVought.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even as Democrats continue working to pass a massive tax-and-spending bill that would further entrench the federal government\u2019s role in health care, a tragic story from across the Atlantic demonstrates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":1897902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1594691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_finder_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/08\/12-year-old-archie-battersbee-dies-after-uk-authorities-end-care-against-parents-wishes\/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=12-year-old-archie-battersbee-dies-after-uk-authorities-end-care-against-parents-wishes","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1594691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1594691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1594691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1897902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1594691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1594691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1594691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}