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Updated 7.55pm
THE EUROPEAN COURT of Human Rights has rejected an appeal by the parents of a terminally ill baby that he should undergo experimental treatment in the US.
Charlie, who is 11 months old, suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage from which he will not recover. He is on a life support machine at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London.
In its ruling, the ECHR noted: “In February 2017, the treating hospital sought a declaration from the domestic courts as to whether it would be lawful to withdraw artificial ventilation and provide Charlie with palliative care.
“Charlie’s parents also asked the courts to consider whether it would be in the best interests of their son to undergo experimental treatment in the USA.
“The domestic courts concluded that it would be lawful for the hospital to withdraw life sustaining treatment because it was likely that Charlie would suffer significant harm if his present suffering was prolonged without any realistic prospect of improvement, and the experimental therapy would be of no effective benefit.”
In the proceedings before the ECHR, Charlie’s parents – Chris Gard and Connie Yates – argued a number of points, including that under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to life) the hospital had blocked access to treatment in the US and that, under Article 5 (right to liberty and security), he was being “unlawfully deprived of his liberty”.
Yates told Sky News today’s decision is “upsetting“.
A spokesperson for GOSH said: “Our thoughts are with Charlie’s parents on receipt of this news which we know will be very distressing for them.
Today’s decision by the European Court of Human Rights marks the end of what has been a very difficult process and our priority is to provide every possible support to Charlie’s parents as we prepare for the next steps.
“There will be no rush by Great Ormond Street Hospital to change Charlie’s care and any future treatment plans will involve careful planning and discussion.”
Medical experts
The ECHR noted the “sensitive” nature of the case, but in its ruling said: “The domestic court decisions had been meticulous, thorough and reviewed at three levels of jurisdiction with clear and extensive reasoning giving relevant and sufficient support for their conclusions.
The domestic courts had direct contact with all those concerned (notably, they had heard from all the medical experts involved in the treatment as well as experts instructed by the applicants, from Charlie’s parents themselves and from an independent professional appointed as the child’s guardian…)
“The domestic courts had concluded, on the basis of extensive, high-quality expert evidence, that it was most likely Charlie was being exposed to continued pain, suffering and distress and that undergoing experimental treatment with no prospects of success would offer no benefit, and continue to cause him significant harm.”
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Modern for the 80s
Was thinking the same, dull, drab, 70s hospital vibe about it,
ESB striding confidently into the mid 70s here
Easy to be a smartass.
A modern glass facade would be out of places and fake Georgian fronting would be worse.
I think it looks quite good if you look at more than one photo.
They would be do far better to design something very contemporary that would contrast with the Georgian architecture around, but something in the same sale and form. It would make the Georgian architecture stand out more and compliment it in a better way than what this does.
The design is complete crap – it’s basically a really crappy imitation of Georgian architecture with what looks like really crap materials. It’s going to look horrific, especially after a few years.
Well the Germans could rebuild their old city’s after WW2 in their original manner and we should too with this beautiful street.
I appreciate contemporary too but its best suited to rejuvenated areas like the Docklands etc. We can have both you know.
Have they not done enough aesthetic damage to that street all ready?? Please do not let them ruin it anymore
What a horrible unimaginative depressing looking building. Noting inspiring about this. Make them reinstate the Georgian facade and let them do what the want behind it!!
€150 million for a bland looking building. Would fit in well in the 80s. Don’t you ever learn? Hopefully the planners will block this. They construct buildings in London 40 floors plus for less then €150 million.
You realize how big the building is yes?
150 million sounds about right for a very large city center building which is extremely high tech. A standard office block would be a BER of C or D.
How long have you been in the employ of Grafton Architects?
Yeah because the ESB really needs to be in prime Dublin spot, how about a industrial estate in Athlone instead
There was a terrible idea if you have 2,000 ESB existing staff commuting to Athlone every day.
That is shocking, someone needs to pop down to the Academy on Pearse st to see how its done…
Someone please stop these stupid clowns from doing even more damage. Please because I’m sick of it.
This has got to be a joke.
The need to move out to CityWest or somewhere equivalent and restore the disgusting damage they’ve done to the Georgian neighbourhood they have destroyed.
As employees on such comfortable remuneration, pension and perks packages in the State, they don’t also need to be sitting in prime city centre historic real estate and destroying it at the same time.
Yes we should endeavor too see the Georgian areas of our city deteriorate even further. Since all the lawyers and consultants are leaving Merrion square already we can convert the entire area into card clubs, casinos, brothels and cheap apartments.
What a great idea!
That design is brutal looking to be honest but how would this thread go if the ESB where to spend the money designing something fancy.
Another spectacular piece of architectural shite
Wow, that plan looks amazing. So amazing in fact you have my full permission to increase our electricity bill to pay for this.
Ugggllleeeee!
Ugly as sin.
Meh
They can work put of portacabins.
You already butchered the street 50 years ago and all your attempts to recreate the old look of the street (which never would have alleviated the architectural vandalism by knocking it down in the first place) have been half arsed. Something a bit bold, modern and contemporary would have been better. This is painfully dull and too much like the bland trash built during the boom when making a quick buck was more important than any form of aesthetics.
Please Please get a British firm of conservation architects to design it by incorporating their neighbours properties. We have destroyed our city with our planners and architects who seem dead set on ruining our Georgian Capitol City . We seem to want to keep doing the same thing over and over again with the same result — dreadful planning and dreadful buildings.
That’s pretty ugly.
Please stop this it looks awful. Why don’t the ESBi move to some industrial estate and build this design. Please DCC se something of our city you already made a terrible mistake with these buildings. ESB are arrogant enough to go ahead and have too much money to care about the City
Christ almighty have the Architects been paid for this? If so then stop it now before it goes any further. Have we learned anything in the past few years, these guys with their own bloody institute giving themselves awards for buildings which really should be demolished eg the building on Merrion Row opposite O Donoghues, Civic Offices, Central Bank, 90% of O’ Connell Street, etc.
It must be corruption as nobody in their right mind would propose a building like this in a Georgian Area. It would fit in well in Ballymount Industrial Est. as an office HQ.
Looks pissh
They have simply looked at the existimg building and said “let’s improve on this style”. No no no no no. Please look outside of the box. These clowns were told what to design.
Reinstate the original facade.the ESB made a mess of the street.in the past so why trust them to do better now
Is there a way for us to complain and stop this?
Rotten
For a hundred and fifty million I’d build a fecking tardis and take whoever designed that blot on the landscape back to the seventies where they belong
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