Charlie Gard’s parents stormed out of the UK High Court two hours into a new hearing that will decide the fate of their child.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates left Thursday’s hearing abruptly, angered by Justice Francis’ opening statements. The judge claimed the parents sought to prolong Charlie’s life in his current state, rather than seeking to improve it, according to a Thursday report from CNN.
Yates interrupted Francis mid-statemen,t while Chris slammed his fist on the table in anger.
“I never said that,” Yates said.
“We said he’s not in suffering and in pain. If he was we wouldn’t be up here fighting for that,” Yates added, according to an Associated Press report.
Francis argued with Yates and Gard, and claimed that one of them had said they were seeking only to prolong Charlie’s current state of living, but both parents stormed out of the court.
“I understand you walking out because it is a desperate situation,” Francis said.
The court paused shortly after Yates and Gard’s exit, but has resumed the hearing and will conclude later today. Francis told Charlie’s parents during Monday’s preliminary hearing that they had two days to present new evidence to support giving Charlie a treatment called nucleoside bypass therapy.
Charlie’s parents and legal representation contest the court’s claim that Charlie is suffering, has structural brain damage, and that his condition cannot be improved and that he should therefore be taken off life support and offered no treatment.
Claims that Charlie has structural brain damage are unproven, according to Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, who was present at Charlie’s hearing.
“Experts say that there is a up to 10 percent, and around 90 to 100 percent chance the medicine will cross the blood brain barrier, this is relevant regarding (albeit unproven) claims of brain damage, and this is a chance that Charlie’s parents and many doctors and specialists around the world are willing to take,” Foster said in a press release sent to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “All we’re asking is that the Judge and the Court give Charlie this chance.”
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