The medical treatment of a seriously ill three-year-old girl may be stopped. Her parents tried to prevent this, but a judge gives Maastricht UMC+ Hospital permission.
The girl has a rare genetic disease. She has been kept alive by artificial respiration since the end of February.
The doctors want to stop the treatment. They judge that the girl is “suffering hopelessly” and that further treatment is pointless. The girl’s parents hoped to force further treatment through the courts.
The treating doctors and other specialists who gave second opinions no longer have hope for recovery. But the parents do. It is also contrary to their religious beliefs to stop treatment while the girl’s heart is still beating. The court calls the suffering and sorrow “very understandable” but emphasizes that the decision rests with the doctors.
“Various statements from doctors and nurses show that the girl is suffering severely,” the judge concludes. He therefore finds the hospital’s decision correct. The parents can still appeal.