British parents fight for baby’s life: ‘You don’t just let disabled people die’

One couple in the United Kingdom has vowed to do “whatever it takes” as they fight the government for the life of their young daughter. 

Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth are in a court battle over the life of their daughter, seven-month-old Indi Gregory. Indi is fighting mitochondrial disease, a condition that has left her needing critical care. Doctors at Nottingham University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust are arguing that Indi should be taken off life support and her ventilator, but her parents are fighting these wishes, arguing instead that their baby is fighting an infection from being in the hospital. 

During a hearing Monday, a doctor advocating for Indi’s treatment to be discontinued told the judge, “The terrible reality is that she is dying,” saying that  “further ventilation” would “prolong matters.” Doctors had also previously defended removing Indi’s life support because she was in pain.

Indi’s parents are refusing to accept this and have vowed to continue fighting for their daughter. 

“We as a family are prepared to do whatever it takes to fight for the life of our beautiful daughter, Indi,” Gregory said in a statement.

“Indi has been in hospital all her young life, and she has had ups and downs, but during the good times she has been on a normal ward, able to breathe by herself and babble happily.”

Gregory continued: “Our daughter responds to us, and on her good days she is babbling, making noises, moving all her limbs. She can definitely experience happiness. She cries like a normal baby. We know she is disabled, but you don’t just let disabled people die. We just want to give her a chance.”

Gregory also argued against the idea that Indi should be removed from life support because she is in pain. “You have only got one life. You have to go through a little bit of pain to carry on with that life,” he said.

Indi’s is not the first case in which the NHS has refused life-saving treatment with the argument that the patient would die anyway. Charlie Gard, a little boy with RRM2B mitochondrial depletion syndrome died in 2017 after the NHS refused to offer him continuing treatment, despite desperate pleas from his family.

Just recently, a young woman known as S.T. also died after the NHS declined to continue her treatment, despite her desire to continue fighting for her life.