A terminally ill boy should be moved to a palliative care regime proposed by specialists despite his parents' objections, a High Court judge has ruled. The Family Division judge said the boy should receive care to minimise suffering in his final months.
The boy was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2012 and is expected to live for three to six months. Specialists said curative treatment was no longer possible and recommended palliative chemotherapy and medication to reduce pain.
His mother, a former nurse, argued the tumour was slow-growing and expressed concerns about side effects from chemotherapy and painkillers. The parents had appealed for their son's right to life, with the father weeping as the judge outlined the decision.
Mr Justice MacDonald described the case as unbearably sad and said the parents were suffering unimaginable agony. However, he ruled that the treatment proposed by doctors was in the boy's best interests, as his pain could become unbearable if not treated.
The hearing was not open to the public, and the judge banned reporting of any details that could identify the boy, including his age, address, or the hospital authority responsible for his care.
