Assessment for 'right-to-life' baby
A fresh medical assessment is to be carried out on a baby boy at the centre of a "right-to-life" legal dispute to decide whether a simple surgical operation could improve his prospects, a High Court judge has heard.
The boy's father believes that his son, who was born with a rare condition which severely restricts his ability to breathe, might be taken off his ventilator and returned home from hospital if surgeons carried out a tracheotomy, which creates an opening in the neck to deliver air to the lungs.
The father is opposing an application by a hospital trust for permission to withdraw the baby's life support - a move supported by the mother, who is separated from the father.
Baby RB was born with congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS), a rare neuromuscular condition which severely limits the ability to breathe and move limbs. He has been in hospital since birth.
Lawyers for the father argue the baby's brain is unaffected by the condition and that he can see, hear and feel and recognise his parents.
Mr Justice McFarlane is expected to be invited to view video recordings produced by the father to support his case that the boy should be allowed to live.
Both parents, in their 20s and said to be "amicably separated", were in court for the hearing.
For legal reasons, none of the parties in the court case, including the hospital trust and the medical witnesses, can be identified.
An estimated 300 people have CMS in the UK, with varying degrees of severity.
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