House Committee Unanimously Vote to Give Charlie Gard U.S. Residency

On Tuesday, a Congressional committee voted to give Charlie Gard and his parents permanent legal resident status in the United States. 

The House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously for an amendment to a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would give the Gard's permanent resident status so that they can seek an experimental treatment for their terminally ill son. 

The amendment was introduced by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), who said in a press release that "this amendment would speed up the process, cut through bureaucratic red tape, and ease the path for Charlie to be able to receive medical treatment in the U.S. that his parents and medical specialists believe is worth pursuing." 

Representative Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) shared this picture of the amendment on Twitter: 

This step comes after American specialist Dr. Michio Hirano visited Charlie Gard in his London hospital and ran several tests to determine if an experimental treatment could work. On Thursday, Hirano said there was an "11 percent to 56 percent chance of clinically meaningful improvement." 

While Hirano says Charlie's condition may be reversible, the boy's British doctors at Great Ormond Street hospital in London still disagree and stand by their decision that Charlie be taken off life support. 

Charlie's parents made international headlines when they fought doctors' decision to remove Charlie's life support in court. They raised $2 million to bring Charlie to the U.S. to seek experimental treatment with Dr. Hirano, but both U.K. and European courts decided in favor of the hospital's course of action.

Earlier this month, the hospital decided to reevaluate their decision in British courts. Justice Nicholas Francis of the British High Court (who made the original ruling against Charlie's parents) will come to a final decision on Charlie Gard's treatment July 25. 

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