BRITAIN: The parents of a seriously ill baby sat in a London High Court yesterday listening to a procession of doctors arguing that their child should be refused life-saving treatment if her condition seriously deteriorated.
A judge was told 11-month-old Charlotte Wyatt's quality of life was so intolerable that it would be "futile or cruel" to try to resuscitate her. The medical team caring for her believed she had "no feelings other than continuing pain" and treating her if she stopped breathing again would be "purposeless and therefore intolerable".
They also predicted that Char- lotte, who cannot see or hear, was likely to become the victim of a life-threatening winter virus affecting her respiratory system at any time and would need such treatment if she was to survive.
The doctors were giving evidence on behalf of Ports- mouth Hospitals NHS Trust in Devon, England, which has applied to allow doctors not to ventilate Charlotte in the event of a future critical episode and to allow her to die in peace.
The trust is opposed by her parents Darren (33) and Debbie Wyatt (23). Both committed Christians, the Wyatts, from Portsmouth, have visited Charlotte every day, sometimes with their 20-month son Daniel. Mr Wyatt has three children, aged 13, 12 and eight, from a previous marriage.
The trust has told Mr Wyatt and his wife - who is expecting their third child - that in the event of another crisis for Charlotte, it is prepared to keep her alive long enough for them to attend at her bedside. However her parents believe Charlotte, having fought against the odds so far, has a real chance of survival and that everything possible should be done to keep her alive.
A consultant paediatrician with a special interest in respira- tory medicine, who took over supervising Charlotte's care in August, said the girl was suffering from "the worst case of chronic lung disease I have ever seen".
Mr David Wolfe, cross- examining for the parents, asked whether Charlotte's life was "not intolerable" on good days.
The doctor said that lying "in a box [which provides oxygen\], surrounded by beeping machines - albeit you cannot hear - not being able to interact, with no prospect of change, strikes me as being fairly intolerable. I think that is why we are here."
The case continues today.