The parents of Alfie Evans, who
want to take their terminally ill toddler to Italy for
treatment, on Friday made a fresh appeal to the European Court
of Human Rights after Britain's Supreme Court ordered London
doctors to pull the plug on him.
On Monday Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano urged his
British counterpart, Boris Johnson, to allow Alfie, who is
suffering from an undiagnosed degenerative disease to be
transferred to medical facilities in Rome.
Alfie's family is in a legal battle with Alder Hey, a
children's hospital that says it is best to withdraw ventilation
as his condition cannot be treated and has destroyed much of his
brain.
The boy's parents want to take him to Rome's Bambino Gesù
children's hospital, which is owned by the Vatican.
Alfano asked for the parents' request to be granted to take
the boy to the hospital in the Italian capital, "medical
facilities of a very high level that accept him in on the base
of an agreement".
He noted, however, that "Alfie is a British citizen and Italy
respects the decisions made in the framework of British national
jurisdiction" and that "the British national healthcare system
and medical standards are among the highest in the world".
The Rome hospital has reportedly given the same prognosis but
would be willing to perform a tracheotomy.
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