Donald Trump offers 'help' to terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard

[GMDino]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/03/donald-trump-offers-help-save-terminally-ill-baby-charlie-gard/

Quote:Donald Trump offers 'help' to terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard



Charlie Gard CREDIT: PA


US President Donald Trump has made an eleventh-hour intervention in the case of terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard by offering help to save him.

The 10-month-old little boy has been at the centre of a lengthy legal battle as his parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, fought for him to be allowed to undergo a therapy trial in the US.

Having lost the fight, the couple were spending their last hours with him before his life-support is turned off when Mr Trump waded into the legal struggle via Twitter to state that he would be “delighted” to help the terminally ill baby.
 

Quote:[/url][url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump] Follow
Donald J. Trump 

@realDonaldTrump
If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.
10:00 AM - 3 Jul 2017

“If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so,” he wrote.

His intervention came after Pope Francis called for Charlie's parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".

The support will likely offer Charlie’s parents a glimmer of hope after exhausting every avenue in their heart breaking legal battle.
A White House spokeswoman said: “Although the President himself has not spoken to the family - he does not want to pressure them in any way - members of the administration have spoken to the family in calls facilitated by the British government.

“The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible."


Chris Gard and Connie Yates with their son Charlie Gard CREDIT: PA

It is understood that a doctor and a hospital have been lined up to help if an agreement is reached.

Theresa May's official spokesman said that the Prime Minister’s thoughts were with Charlie and his family but declined to comment on Mr Trump's tweet.

Her official spokesman said: "This is a very sensitive case. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to talk about it here at this point other than to say our thoughts are with him and his family."

Charlie’s parents were given more time to say goodbye to their son, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, after making an emotional video plea. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) had been due to turn off his life support last Friday.

On Friday a picture of the couple sleeping on either side of their son in hospital was posted on their Twitter account alongside the hashtags #jesuisCharlieGard #charliesfight #letcharliegohome.


Supporters of Chris Gard and Connie Yates case CREDIT: NICK EDWARDS

His plight has touched people around the world and the family received donations totalling more than £1.3 million to take him to the US for therapy.

His parents, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, west London, asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their case after judges in the
High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London ruled in favour of GOSH doctors.

But last week the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene. On Sunday, campaigners carrying a banner that said "It's Murder" gathered outside
Buckingham Palace to protest against the court's decision.

A specialist who would oversee any treatment Charlie had at a hospital in the US told the High Court that therapy would provide a "small chance" of a meaningful improvement in Charlie's brain function.

Giving evidence via a telephone link from America, he said: "It may be a treatment, but not a cure.

"(Charlie) may be able to interact. To smile. To look at objects."

A few thoughts:

1) How horrible for the parents to be going through this.

2) If Trump wrote that tweet ("as per"?) it shows signs of compassion his part that have otherwise not been seen.

3) Many people have lined up on the "this is why socialized health care is bad" side of the story...ignoring that Privatized healthcare would probably ALSO refuse to foot a bill to go to another country for a treatment that " would provide a "small chance" of a meaningful improvement in Charlie's brain function."

Again I think they should be allowed to do whatever the want/need to do to save their child, I was just taken with the argument that it was "socialized healthcare" that was the problem.

[HarleyDog]

Ok, I don't think you're a Dick anymore.

[GMDino]

(07-03-2017, 06:25 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Ok, I don't think you're a Dick anymore.

[SunsetBengal]

Well, first off, I hope that baby makes it. Secondly, this show of compassion from Trump is likely nothing that his family and friends haven't already know about him. It just goes to show that no one is as good, or in this case, as bad as people like to make them out to be.

[HarleyDog]

(07-03-2017, 06:32 PM)GMDino Wrote:

It was a good article. I took you as someone who, if there was something positive about the POTUS you would toss aside and dig into the bottom of the dumpster to find what fit your agenda. It was pretty cool of you to post.

[GMDino]

(07-03-2017, 06:36 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Well, first off, I hope that baby makes it.  Secondly, this show of compassion from Trump is likely nothing that his family and friends haven't already know about him.  It just goes to show that no one is as good, or in this case, as bad as people like to make them out to be.

(07-03-2017, 06:37 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: It was a good article. I took you as someone who, if there was something positive about the POTUS you would toss aside and dig into the bottom of the dumpster to find what fit your agenda. It was pretty cool of you to post.

And that's why I was clear that it posted because the aspect of socialized healthcare vs privatized.

My opinion on Trump's statement or the Pope's isn't what this is about.

TBH I bet Trump loves children.  You would have to be a heartless bastard to have grandkids of your own and not (I do know people like that sadly).  

[HarleyDog]

(07-03-2017, 07:01 PM)GMDino Wrote: TBH I bet Trump loves children.  You would have to be a heartless bastard to have grandkids of your own and not (I do know people like that sadly).  

As do most unfortunately.

[*michaelsean*]

Did the court say they weren't allowed to go even if they had the money? 1.3 million pounds has to be around $2 million.

[StLucieBengal]

We would have to make the boy and his parents citizens to make it workZ. It would cause some issues in the British legal system but this is all we can do.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(07-05-2017, 12:42 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: We would have to make the boy and his parents citizens to make it workZ. It would cause some issues in the British legal system but this is all we can do.

If millions of illegal aliens receive free medical care in the US, why would this family need to become citizens?

[StLucieBengal]

(07-05-2017, 02:35 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: If millions of illegal aliens receive free medical care in the US, why would this family need to become citizens?

The issue is the NHS won't release him. A US citizen is no longer under the thumb of the NHS death panels.

[*michaelsean*]

(07-05-2017, 03:04 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: The issue is the NHS won't release him.   A US citizen is no longer under the thumb of the NHS death panels.

So they aren't allowed to come here and pay for it themselves?

[StLucieBengal]

(07-05-2017, 03:10 PM)michaelsean Wrote: So they aren't allowed to come here and pay for it themselves?

I am not 100% sure but I believe the NHS has power over parents in this scenario.

[Au165]

Horrible situation. I hope they release the kid to somewhere willing to continue to work towards helping the family.

[StLucieBengal]

(07-05-2017, 03:30 PM)Au165 Wrote: Horrible situation. I hope they release the kid to somewhere willing to continue to work towards helping the family.

Unfortunately they are pulling the plug on him against the parents wishes. Which is what happens in socialized medicine.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(07-05-2017, 03:04 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: The issue is the NHS won't release him. A US citizen is no longer under the thumb of the NHS death panels.

I'm going to assume you're referring to the National Health Service in England.

A hospital won't release a critically ill patient on life support without an accepting hospital and appropriate transfer transportation. They don't need to be US citizens to get care in the US. So you're completely wrong.

Edited to add: I've read the judge's summary of this case which I found at The Mirror. This has nothing to do with socialized medicine. Anyone making such a claim is speaking from a position of ignorance in an attempt to sensationalize an awful situation to further a political ideology which I think is reprehensible.