Medical Decision-Making In the Tragic Life of Charlie Gard

by Craig Klugman, Ph.D. On Friday, Charlie Gard is scheduled to have his life support discontinued. Charlie Gard is an 11-month-old baby born with RRM2B encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome—a rare genetic disorder with no cure. Those with the mutation live at most into early childhood with a multitude of life threatening conditions (lactic acidosis, ammonia build up, heart abnormalities). Charlie suffers from seizures, cannot independently breathe. He is also blind and deaf. Great Ormond Street Hospital (London) and Charlie’s doctors believe there is nothing more medically that can be done to benefit him and requested to remove his life sustaining treatment.…
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