Parents' anguish as High Court says doctors should not 'artificially prolong' boy's life

The two-year-old boy suffers from an incurable and unidentified neurological disorder and his condition is deteriorating

NHS hospital bosses with responsibility for the boy’s care said limiting treatment to palliative care would be lawful and in his best interests (Getty)

The parents of a “profoundly neurologically disabled” two-year-old boy have said they are “devastated” by a High Court ruling allowing doctors only to provide him with palliative care.

A High Court judge ruled the boy's life should not be “artificially prolonged” after NHS hospital bosses, with responsibility for the boy’s care, said limiting treatment to palliative care would be lawful and in his best interests.

The boy suffered from an incurable and unidentified neurological disorder and specialists said his condition was deteriorating. Nurses said he had stopped smiling and no longer giggled when tickled.

“Further invasive intervention,” specialists said, would be traumatic and arduous for the boy and he would only have a negligible therapeutic benefit.

The child’s parents were against only providing palliative care and implementing an “end-of-life” plan, insisting all treatment options should be available.

They said Mrs Justice Parker's ruling "effectively condemns their son to death".

The judge oversaw the case at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London and made a ruling on Wednesday.

She said ‘artificially prolonging” the boy’s life would not be in his best interests and bosses at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust had asked her to make a ruling.

Additional reporting by Press Association