President Donald Trump came to the defense of little Charlie Gard in a tweet sent out Monday morning, saying that America would be “delighted” to help the 10-month-old boy who was sentenced to death last week by an EU human rights court.
If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017
Charlie was born with an exceedingly rare degenerative condition, and has spent the majority of his brief life on a ventilator at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. His parents have spent every waking moment fighting for their son, even to the point of raising nearly $2 million to bring him to the United States for an experimental treatment that might save his life.
Charlie’s doctors in London, however, disagreed with their plan, saying there was nothing more they could do for Charlie and that he should be taken off life support and allowed to “die with dignity.” After fighting their way through the courts, Charlie's parents found themselves at the end of the legal line last week when the European Court on Human Rights ruled it was in Charlie's best interest to be removed from life support and allowed to die.
After filming a heartbreaking video pleading for their son’s life, Charlie’s parents were able to score a bit more time with their son over the weekend before he is to be taken off life support. Neither doctors nor Charlie’s family have disclosed when they plan to remove the little boy’s ventilator.
The EU court’s ruling against Charlie’s parents was initially met with outrage from the international pro-life community, but a weak statement from the Vatican, which tried to toe the line between a person’s inherent right to life and the tragedy of human suffering.
Three days and a tense weekend later, Pope Francis issued his own statement in support of Charlie and his parents, saying he “prays their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end isn’t neglected.”