British parents fight legal battle to allow transfer of terminally ill baby to Vatican hospital

The parents of a terminally-ill child in Liverpool, U.K. are fighting a legal battle to take their son for treatment at Vatican-linked Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital in Rome.

According to Daily Mail, the officials at Alder Hey Children's Hospital have applied to the High Court in Liverpool to end the life of 20-month-old Alfie Evans, who is suffering from a neurological condition.

Alfie's parents, Tom Evans, 21, and Kate James, 20, were told in court that there was "no hope for recovery" for their son, noting that the boy had already suffered 'catastrophic degradation' to his brain from a 'relentless' condition, leaving him in a semi-vegetative state.

The medical team is continuing efforts to keep the baby alive through ventilation, but they have contended that such efforts are "unkind, unfair and inhumane."

While reviewing the application from Alder Hey, Justice Anthony Hayden ordered MRI scans of Alfie's brain which showed that the disease had destroyed more of his brain.

Scans that were taken last August had indicated that the boy's brain had been reduced by more than 70 percent of normal size.

Alfie's parents are now seeking to transfer their son to Bambino Gesu Paediatric Hospital, which offers treatment that may prolong his life.

Catholic Herald reported that three consultants from the Vatican-linked hospital visited Alfie in Liverpool and had acknowledged that treatment would be "completely futile" in terms of curing him.

However, they still offered to take the boy to Rome where he would undergo operations that would help him breathe and eat, which would allow him to survive for an "undefined period."

The staff at Alder Hey contended that such treatment would be "inappropriate," while Dr. Helen Cross noted that it would prolong his life "unnecessarily" as "his brain is being progressively destroyed and there is no prospect of recovery."

A consultant at Alder Hey had told the court that the latest MRI scans had indicated further deterioration of Alfie's brain, noting that more brain matter had disappeared and the spaces inside the boy's skull filled with fluid had increased. In addition, two key parts of Alfie's brain, the Thalamus and Basal Ganglia, had shrunk to the point that they had almost gone.

"It shows us visibly the destruction of vital structures of the brain which are required for any normal sensory processing. Alfie is unaware, in a deep coma, not able to sense, touch, to see or to hear. His clinical impression has not changed over many months," the consultant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said.

While Alfie's parents are certain that their son responds to them, doctors have contended that this is simply the child suffering seizures.

Despite the testimony from the experts, Tom Evans said that they are still not giving up on the survival of his child.

"At the moment we are not willing to let him die, but if we have turned all the stones over and don't wake our child up... we will wait for him to deteriorate and let him die in his own way," he said.