London, England, Jul 26, 2017 / 13:33 pm
After ending their legal fight to seek further treatment for their 11-month-old son, the parents of Charlie Gard are now in a dispute with Great Ormond Street Hospital over whether they may take the boy home to live out his final days.
The judge in the case, Justice Peter Francis, is set to pass down a decision by noon on Thursday. However, he said that "(i)t looks like the chances are small" of the boy being brought home. His parents hope to have a week with him after he has been moved to a final location.
On Monday, Christ Gard and Connie Yates, the boy's parents, announced that they were ending their legal fight for additional treatment for their son. Their lawyer told the High Court that "time had run out" for Charlie. They have expressed the desire that he be moved home "for a few days of tranquility" before life support is withdrawn on July 31, four days before Charlie's first birthday.
Great Ormond Street Hospital has said that it is impossible for Charlie to receive life support at home, arguing that his ventilator "cannot fit through the family's front door." It has instead offered a hospice space for Charlie. Previously, the hospital had promised that they "won't stand in the way," according to Grant Armstrong, the couple's lawyer, but now they were setting up "obstacles."