Life-or-death day for baby Charlotte

Times Online ^ | 4/17/05 | Sarah-Kate Templeton

[eeevil conservative]

THE PARENTS of a severely brain-damaged baby who has survived against the odds will find out this week if a court order allowing a hospital to let her die will be lifted. Last October Charlotte Wyatt was given just months to live after St Mary’s hospital in Portsmouth won the right not to provide life-saving treatment if her condition deteriorated.

But now hospital sources admit the 18-month-old baby may live on for “a considerable time” — potentially years rather than months.

At present, Charlotte is in an oxygen box most of the day to to ensure she has sufficient supply and to stop her breathing contaminated air. She can only come out for short spells when her parents visit. However, her breathing has improved: if the 60% of oxygen she needs from the artificial supply could be reduced to 30%, she would be able to go home with the aid of an oxygen mask.

Her survival has confounded predictions by doctors who told the High Court last autumn that she would catch an infection during the winter that would prove fatal if the hospital did not resuscitate her. Ventilating Charlotte would be “purposeless and intolerable to her” and she should be allowed to pass away peacefully, they said.

After lasting the winter, however, she was observed by her parents, Darren and Debbie Wyatt, from Portsmouth, to have limited sight and hearing. They returned to court in March to ask for the “do not resuscitate” order to be lifted. The court’s judgment is due this week.

The Wyatts asked that if Charlotte’s condition declined to the point that she needed resuscitation, she should be put on a ventilator for at least five days to give her a chance of survival.

A medical report commissioned by the couple’s solicitors confirmed that Charlotte was no longer in constant pain and that she had started to respond to lights and sound. But doctors at St Mary’s still believe ventilating Charlotte would not be in her best interests as it would only postpone her death and prolong her suffering.

This weekend a hospital source said: “It would be inappropriate to ventilate Charlotte as this could do her more damage and it would serve no purpose. Our clinicians have made a very considered judgment and I cannot imagine that the court will change its mind.”

Charlotte, who was born prematurely weighing just 1lb, will remain seriously disabled. Although her lungs have got stronger since October, her brain has not grown.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that even before this latest court hearing in March, the legal action has cost Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs St Mary’s, about £115,000.

The dispute has taken a huge emotional toll on the Wyatts and the doctors caring for Charlotte, who is now being treated by her third paediatrician because of the strained relationship between the family and hospital staff. This weekend Carol Glass, a friend of the Wyatts, said: “With the right treatment, Charlotte could live on.”

[eeevil conservative]

See These Sources for more info:

http://www.prolifeblogs.com/

We received the information about Charlotte Wyatt by email today, and we've been asked as a group to help get the message out about her plight. All BlogsForTerri Blogs are encouraged to look into this matter and help get Charlotte the attention MSM attention she deserves(hopefully the life-kind of media attention).

and info on Charlotte:

http://charlottewyatt.blogspot.com/

Charlotte Wyatt--a short biography Charlotte Paige Wyatt was born prematurely at St. Mary's hospital on the 21st of October 2003. She weighed 458 grams (about a pound) and was barely five inches long. Three times in her short life she had to be re-ventilated--the last time being July.

After that the hospital said that because she was born prematurely (at 26 weeks), and because she was only the size of a 19 week old baby, she had no chance to pull through. They decided that if her lungs would collapse due to an infection, they would not re-ventilate her, but stand by and watch her die.

Her parents brought it to court, but in a September ruling, the Judge agreed with the doctors, who testified that her quality of life was "terrible", that she could not see or hear, and that she was just living in a glass box, in constant pain, with oxygen being shot at her all the time. Her parents did not give up though, they continued to fight on. . .

In mid March they went back to the judge with new information, information to prove that she had improved, unlike what the doctors thought, and that she would react to sound, and light.--that she could see and hear. The doctors even admitted that she had improved a great deal--but they still thought that it was not enough. They testified that although now she could hear and see, her brain had stopped growing. The judge did not rescind his order allowing Charlotte to die, but he did tell her parents to collect lots of evidence. This evidence they were to bring to him at a hearing after Easter, when he would decide if she should be allowed to live or not.

This coming Thursday, on April 21, Mr. Justice Hedley will look at all the evidence her parents have collected to try and prove that her life is worthwhile. He will then make a descision on wether to recind his previous order, letting Charlotte live, or if he will let the doctors allow her to die.

[eeevil conservative]

This ping list is used for all PRO-LIFE issues!

If you want to be added or removed, please Freep me!

Let's inundate the MSM!

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Prayers for this family.

Who do the doctors and the courts think they are to tell these people how to care for their own daughter?!!?

[Ohioan from Florida]

Ping for life! Please ping your lists!

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[Saundra Duffy]

“With the right treatment, Charlotte could live on.”

That's all I need to know. She has already proved the doctors wrong! Let her live.

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Praying for the little girl and her family!

[cpforlife.org]

Pro-Life PING

Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

Black robbed executioners have expanded their specter of death to children that are born and growing who have hope and loving parents who want them.

1973 United States Supreme Court

“The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.” C. S. Lewis

[tutstar]

cpforlife.org has had a pro-life ping list for a while and I'm on that one...please remove from yours eevil

---

thanks

[eeevil conservative]

List of media emails: (copy and paste) Rush@EIBNet.com, 19Latest@daily.misleader.org, greenpartyusa@igc.org, pjnyden@wvgazette.com, ellengoodman@globe.com, shadowland@newsweek.com, news@reedbusiness.com, MyWord@FoxNews.com, REvans@mercurynews.com, JHubner@Mercurynews.com, prez@usa-exile.org, Malibunews@malibutimes.com, Margolis@foreigncorrespondent.com, FNS@FoxNews.com, Beltway@FoxNews.com, Hannity@FoxNews.com, Colmes@FoxNews.com, alan@alan.com, jim.mills@foxnews.com, Newswatch@FoxNews.com, Oreilly@FoxNews.com, Special@Foxnews.com, latenight@nbc.com, tdp@nt.net, Newswatch@foxnews.com, letters@nypost.com, Moneyline@CNN.com, cushman@nytimes.com, abramsreport@msnbc.com, Hardball@MSNBC.com, evening@cbsnews.com, weekends@cbsnews.com, Questions@MSNBC.com, Joe@msnbc.com, Imus@MSNBC.com, Question@msnbc.com, Nightly@NBC.com, MTP@NBC.com, Crossfire@cnn.com, Wolf@CNN.com, CapReport@cnbc.com, Reliable@cnn.com, newsroom@bergen.com, Jeff.newsstand@cnn.com, Rwallace@herald.com, Arobinson@herald.com, babingtonc@washpost.com, newhnews@ncia.net, Letters@prospect.org, letters@cmonitor.com, inquirer.letters@phillynews.com, letters@detnews.com,, DYJackson@tribune.com, ddefenoyl@globeandmail.ca, valley@latimes.com, business@latimes.com, ventura@latimes.com, metrodesk@latimes.com, news-tips@nytimes.com, the-arts@nytimes.com, bizday@nytimes.com, metro@nytimes.com, national@nytimes.com, washington@nytimes.com, online.editor@thetimes.co.uk, rcribb@thestar.ca, foreign.news@thetimes.co.uk, dbrazao@thestar.ca, ldiebel@thestar.ca, 2020@abc.com, thisweek@abc.com, nightline@abcnews.com , mike@mikemalloy.com, rrhodes@airamericaradio.com, info@alternativeradio.org , info@alternet.org, talk2us@americasblackforum.com, feedback@ap.org, msilverman@ap.org, rfournier@ap.org, hunt@ap.org, bsenftleber@ajc.com, bsteiden@ajc.com, hklibanoff@ajc.com, rnarayanan@ajc.com, atrios@comcast.net, newsonline@bbc.co.uk, anita@mindgallery.com, jfetzer@d.umn.edu, hprzybyla@bloomberg.net, hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.net, ombud@globe.com, kcooper@globe.com, oliphant@globe.com, brelis@globe.com, lettersbwol@businessweek.com, richard_dunham@businessweek.com, buzzflash@buzzflash.com, query@cambridgeforum.org, 48hours@cbsnews.com, 60m@cbsnews.com, bpc@cbsnews.com, ftn@cbsnews.com, sundays@cbsnews.com, grain@cbsnews.com, aweathersbee@suntimes.com, cledbetter@suntimes.com, showcase@suntimes.com, jcruickshank@suntimes.com, sneed@suntimes.com, ddouglas@suntimes.com, rkemper@tribune.com, cgarrett@tribune.com, GWashburn@tribune.com, jzeleny@tribune.com, MPossley@tribune.com, jcrewdson@tribune.com, bmccauley@enquirer.com, dhorn@enquirer.com, jborgman@enquirer.com, jloven@ap.org, kcarroll@ap.org, npickler@ap.org, sjohnson@ap.org, cwarmbold@ajc.com, wilsonc@timesrecordnews.com, drudge@drudgereport.com , news@worldnetdaily.com, letters@worldnetdaily.com, Hannity@foxnews.com, Colmes@foxnews.com, me@glennbeck.com

[eeevil conservative]

no-problem!

I removed you-- thanks for leting me know!

[eccentric]

They are basing their decision on her QUALITY OF LIFE not whether she can survive??!?!?!?! That's NOT what this should be decided on!!

Yes, I NEED to be on a pro-life ping list. Please add me.

[IleeneWright]

I'm confused! Is this the UK or the USA?

[eeevil conservative]

It's the UK

But the family has asked us to alert media...

I hope it will shine light on how serious this is...

[IleeneWright]

Sorry, but I don't know how to do URL short cuts on here! :)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml;sessionid=52V42V1HTI4VJQFIQMFCNAGAVCBQYJVC?view=HOME&grid=P13&menuId=-1&menuItemId=-1&_requestid=78191

The TELEGRAPH couldn't get enough of Terri and even picked up on Mae! Then there is the Canadian news, which has been investigating Michael schiavo.

I will forward this to that Tribune reporter and we should also elicite the help of the Latino community via Jorge Mederos as well! ;)

I'll be back!

[IleeneWright]

*ping*

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[IleeneWright]

UPDATE:

Parents lose fight to save baby Charlotte
(Filed: 21/04/2005)

The parents of a seriously ill baby have lost their legal battle to overturn a court order allowing doctors to let her die if she stops breathing.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Hedley has said the order is not open-ended and remains subject to review.


Debbie Wyatt
Darren and Debbie Wyatt held hands at the back of the London courtroom as the judge said: "I am quite clear that it would not be in Charlotte's best interests to die in the course of futile aggressive treatment."

He said that in the event of respiratory collapse, all treatment up to but not including intubation and ventilation would be in Charlotte's best interests, "but nothing further".

Doctors at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth won the legal right last October not to resuscitate Charlotte - now 18 months old - after arguing that her brain and other organs were so seriously damaged that she had "no feeling other than continuing pain".

But it now appears that Charlotte could survive for a considerable time, possibly years, although the medical prognosis for her quality of life is still poor.

Charlotte spends most of her time in an oxygen box, but is taken out to be cuddled by her parents when they visit.

Doctors still insist that resuscitating her if she stops breathing will be "pointless and possibly inhumane" because it will only prolong her suffering.

At a renewed hearing earlier this year, Mr Justice Hedley was told by the parents that Charlotte could now see and hear to a limited extent - and smile.

Charlotte weighed 1lb and measured only five inches when she was born three months prematurely in October 2003.

She has serious brain, lung and kidney damage. Her survival has confounded predictions that she would not last the winter because she was bound to succumb to a respiratory infection.

The judge said today that he is delighted that Charlotte has survived the winter.

But she still requires 50 per cent oxygen and will not be able to return home unless that is reduced to 30 per cent or lower.

Her ability to respond to loud noise and track the movement of a colourful toy is in contrast to her condition last October when she was almost wholly unresponsive and required almost constant sedation.

But Charlotte's chronic respiratory disease is still expected to be fatal and her neurological condition is as bad as it could be.

Her head is still the size of a new-born baby and there has been no brain growth. Fed continuously through a tube, she is seriously undernourished. She remains "a terminally ill child", the judge said.

[freepatriot32]

this case is in the uk but it has already happened in america a couple of months ago in houston

Infant to be removed from life support Tuesday"

Houston Mother Loses Fight To Keep Baby On Life Support

Hospital ends life support of baby; 1st U.S. case of its kind is against mom's wish

[IleeneWright]

DONE! :)

I also sentinfo as a PRESS RELEASE with more info to follow as more info becomes available and I sent to Jorge to reach out to the Latino community, as well as others who I had contacted on behalf of CLARA! ;)

This is INSANE! They are going against this baby's PARENTS! This is their baby! what right does a court have, to impose and ORDER the DEATH of someone's infant?

This is EXACTLY the SLIPPERY SLOPE we here in the USA are heading towards!