Trump Tweets US Would be ‘Delighted’ to Help Charlie Gard
The baby has a rare genetic disorder and was sentenced by court to be taken off life support.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that the United States would be “delighted” to help Charlie Gard. Charlie is the nearly 11-month-old British baby sentenced by court to be taken off life support despite his parents’ wishes.
“If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so,” Trump tweeted.
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
On Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his support for Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates.
A statement said the Pope “is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected.”
The statement followed a Friday tweet from the Pope claiming it is the “duty of love” to “defend human life.”
To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 30, 2017
The Pope’s Sunday statement reversed a previous statement by the Vatican’s Academy for Life, which said “we must also accept the limits of medicine and … avoid aggressive medical procedures.” The Vatican was soundly criticized by conservatives for the seeming support of euthanasia, which the Catholic church opposes.
Charlie has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that prevents him from moving his limbs or breathing independently. His parents want to take him to the U.S. for an experimental treatment. They have raised over $1 million to do so. But Charlie’s doctors doubt the treatment will work and believe he should be taken off life support. They have refused to release Charlie so his parents can seek the treatment.
The disagreement turned into a legal battle that made it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. The court denied Charlie’s parents’ appeal last Tuesday. Originally Charlie was set to be moved off life support last Friday, but the hospital has extended his time.
For more on the case, see John Zmirak’s article “Who’s Killing Charlie Gard?”.
