Two Families Honor Their Sons and Fight For Change In the U.K.

Healthcare has been a major concern for Americans since the introduction of Barack Obama’s disastrous ObamaCare medical plan, so similar to those of socialist nations.

We worry about access to quality care as the government seems to move further towards controlling our healthcare choices.

Families in the U.K. have suffered tremendously due to socialized medicine, and their tragedies should be a wake-up call to U.S. legislators – but there may finally be some hope.

The entire world prayed for the families of two severely ill children in the U.K. in the last two years – and mourned with them when their lives were lost because their government put profit over life.

Charlie Gard died just before his first birthday in July of 2017 in London due to mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

U.K. courts ruled against experimental treatments offered by physicians in New York, even though some of Charlie’s physicians agreed they may help.

Alfie Evans passed away in April of this year in a Liverpool hospital, just shy of his second birthday.

U.K. courts refused to allow his parents to take him to Italy where physicians there offered hope to study the causes and treatment options for an unknown neurodegenerative disorder.  The courts refused to even let his parents take him home to die.

Both sets of parents fought with every ounce of their beings, fueled by public support and offers of assistance from physicians in other countries.

Mommy Underground reported then on the U.K. government’s complicity in the deaths of Charlie and Alfie.

In each instance, a little boy died because the parents lost appeal after appeal in one court after another as their child’s life was deemed to be unworthy of the financial cost to the government.

The parents’ God-given rights were trampled on as they were told they had no authority to decide what happened to their own children.

Both sets of parents vowed that their sons’ lives would make a difference.  They promised they would not stop fighting to prevent another family from sharing their agony.

Now, at last, a new law has been brought before the U.K. Parliament to protect the innocent victims of government interference in family medical decisions.

“Charlie’s Law” would give parents more input in what care their child receives and could mean the difference between life and death.

Currently in the U.K., if a hospital or other public agency like social services believes that a parent’s wishes for their child will cause risk or increased suffering to the child, they can challenge the parents’ rights in court.

Doctors and social workers can ask for an order that revokes the ability of parents to make any medical decisions – akin to terminating parental rights as far as healthcare is concerned.

The proposed law, however, would allow parents a say in the treatment options available to their child, and they would be able to consult with lawyers and other medical experts on the best course of action.

The legislation was introduced to Parliament by a notable official, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, who worked under former Prime Ministers as Lord Chancellor.

Charlie’s Law, however, does not include one vital right that contributed to the deaths of both Charlie and Alfie.  It does not give parents power to seek treatment outside the U.K.’s National Health Services.

While it is far from ideal, it appears for now that the main goal is to resolve conflicts in care decisions in mediation between the parents and health professionals before going to the courts.

“The introduction of better access to mediation and medical ethics committees, combined with the right for parent to seek treatment for their children that won’t cause them harm would – we believe – help eliminate some of the conflict that can all too easily arise between medical professionals and parents in complex cases,” said Charlie’s mother, Connie Yates, according to LifeSite News.

A similar law, “Alfie’s Law,” was introduced earlier this year by Parliament member Steven Woolfe, and was wholeheartedly backed by Charlie Gard’s parents.

This bill proposes that parents are given an impartial family advocate to represent their interests and would also help provide financial resources and the right to a second medical opinion – one not part of the National Health Services network.

In Parliament, the process to have a bill become an Act of Parliament can take a year on average.  After readings, committees, and passage in both houses of Parliament, it goes to the Queen for final assent.

There is a long way to go until some form of Charlie’s Law or Alfie’s Law is adopted, but it is a step in the right direction for the parents of children with life-threatening illnesses in the U.K.

While we pray this will only be the first step in preventing the death of another innocent child by the hands of the government, the U.K.’s healthcare system is still socialized medicine.

The government has the power to make life-or-death decisions for its citizens.

The parents of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans have made it their mission to support each other and to advocate and push for a law to prevent this tragedy from happening to anyone else.

What do you think of the introduction of Alfie’s Law and Charlie’s Law into the U.K. Parliament?  Do you think the laws will pass?  Leave us your thoughts.