U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday offered to help a10-month-old infant from Britain whose parents were legally blocked from bringing him for treatment in the United States.
Charlie Gard, widely known as Baby Charlie, suffers from a rare condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
“If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so,’’ Trump said on Twitter, referring to a message of support from Pope Francis on Sunday.
Specialists at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital told his parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates that the therapy proposed by a U.S. doctor for their son is experimental and would not help.
They insisted that life support for the child should be stopped.
British and European courts upheld the ruling of the lower court that the infant’s life support should be ended so that he could die with dignity.
On Friday, Great Ormond Street Hospital granted the infant extra time on life support, but was expected to turn-off the life-sustaining treatment in the coming days.
It was unclear from Trump’s tweet what kind of help he was offering the family.
“Thanks @realdonaldtrump for your support,’’ Gard and Yates wrote on their official Charlie’s Fight Twitter account.
They urged the British Prime Minister Theresa May to “do the right thing and save Charlie Gard.’’ (dpa/NAN)
ACO/AEA
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