Judge says cogitate aid to British baby with terminal illness in case of new evidence

Parents of baby with terminal illness Charlie Gard, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, London 07/13/2017

The British judge who will decide if a terminally ill baby should receive experimental treatment in the United States said on Thursday that it would reverse his decision that the devices that keep the child alive should be turned off if new evidence warrants it.

11-year-old Charlie Gard's parents have been fighting legal battle to submit their son to experimental therapy, but British courts have refused the permit arguing that it would prolong the baby's suffering without offering any realistic prospect of aid.

Charlie suffers from a form of mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.

Last week, the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Pediatric Hospital, where Charlie is being treated, has called for a new hearing in the light of international aid offers after US President Donald Trump and Pope Francisco brought the matter to the attention of the world.

"If there are any important new indications that my decision should be changed, I will change it," Judge Nicholas Francis told the London Supreme Court hearing.

In a statement issued before the hearing, the baby's parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, said they loved their son "more than life itself."

But the couple later came out of the angry audience, as the judge said that they had agreed that Charlie's life is not fit to be maintained without any medical improvement.

Parents' lawyers need to persuade the judge to come up with new clues that mean he should review his original verdict.