A 12-year-old British boy probably died because of a TikTok challenge - the court decided to stop the treatment
12-year-old Archie Battersbee died after four months of being unconscious. His parents fought in court for two months to continue their son's treatment. The Court of Appeal decided to stop the treatments.
The family contacted the European Court of Human Rights but was told that the matter does not fall under the Court of Human Rights scope.
Archie from Exxes was found unconscious in his home at the beginning of April. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with serious brain injuries. In the hospital, he was on a ventilator and found that he no longer had brain function, according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, among other things.
Archie's mother, Hollie Dance, says she was told her son could not be saved and had to be taken off the ventilator.
A legal battle began because Dance did not accept the hospital's decision. Finally, on June 13, the Court of Appeal decided that Archie's treatment must be stopped. The judge ruled that Archie was brain dead based on the MRI and that treatment could be stopped.
The family asked for permission to appeal the decision, but three Court of Appeal judges rejected the bid. Finally, the family contacted the European Court of Human Rights. From there, they were told that the matter fell outside the scope of the Human Rights Court.
Last Thursday, Archie's parents applied to the Supreme Court to transfer their son to a hospice for end-of-life care.
On Friday, a Supreme Court judge will rule that Archie cannot be transferred from hospital to hospice care but that his treatment must be suspended.
Yesterday, Saturday, Archie died at the Royal London Hospital after treatment was suspended under court rulings on his interests. His family members were at his bedside. His mother, Hollie Dance, said: "Such a beautiful little boy, and he fought right to the end."
Parents believe Archie died after taking part in a TikTok challenge. The challenge, which has spread on social media, is extremely dangerous because it involves holding your breath until you lose consciousness. In the United States, the challenge has caused the death of two girls.
