Charlie Gard is a 10-month-old baby in England who was born with the rare mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. Typically fatal, there are experimental treatment options available for this rare condition.
Charlie’s parents, Chris and Connie, have crowd-funded resources to try to take Charlie to the United States for one of these treatments; however, his doctors, the government, and most recently the European Court of Human Rights, have all sided against the parents’ rights and interests in making decisions regarding the healthcare and life of their own child!
Charlie’s parents should be allowed to make the decision of whether to seek treatment for their child. This was recently echoed by Pope Francis, who “expresse[d] his own closeness to [Charlie’s] parents” and “wish[ed] that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end will be respected,” and later by President Donald Trump on Twitter:
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
Sign this petition to urge Theresa May’s government to intervene in favor of Charlie’s parents and their right to care for their child and determine his healthcare options rather than have this fundamental role usurped by doctors and judges.
After signing, please also consider calling the UK Ambassador in your country and expressing your support for Charlie and his parents:
- United States: Sir Kim Darroch +1 202 588 6500.
- Spain: Simon Manley +34 917 146 300
- Poland: Jonathan Knott +48 22 311 00 00
- Germany: Michael Wilford +49 30 204570
- Italy: Jill Morris +39 06 4220 0001
- Russia: Laurie Bristow +7 495 956 7200
- Hungary: Iain Lindsay +36 1 266 2888
- Croatia: Andrew Dalgliesh +385 1 6009 100
- Slovakia: Kimberly Gillingham +421 2/599 820 00
- Netherlands: Geoffrey Adams +31 (0)70 4270 427
THE PETITION
Intervene To Uphold The Rights Of Charlie Gard’s Parents
Dear Prime Minister May:
I write today in support of the parents of Charlie Gard, Connie and Chris, and their fundamental rights to care for and make decisions regarding the welfare of their child.
The decisions of the doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights cannot be allowed to trump the basic and fundamental rights parents have in matters relating to the welfare and very life of their own children! It is chilling to imagine that bureaucratic agencies and administrative professionals can dictate to parents that they should not be permitted to pursue potentially life-saving treatment for their own beloved baby.
Respectfully, I ask you to please take action and intervene against this dangerous and outrageous violation of Mr. and Mrs. Gard’s parental rights, and work to ensure that they be allowed, in the words of Pope Francis, “to accompany and care for their own child to the end.”
