A terminally ill baby at the center of a legal battle between his parents, British health authorities and the Italian government has died
November 13, 2023, 3:36 a.m. ET
• 2 min reading
LONDON – A terminally ill baby who was at the center of a legal battle between his parents, British health authorities and the Italian government has died, a group supporting his family said on Monday.
Christian Concern said Indi Gregory died in a hospice Monday morning after being taken off life support on Sunday.
The 8-month-old baby had suffered brain damage due to a rare condition called mitochondrial disease.
Her doctors said her life support needed to be removed so she could die in a hospital or hospice. Her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, fought to remain on life support in the hope that experimental treatments could extend her life. The Italian government had asked for permission to treat her at the Bambino Gesu children’s hospital in Rome and even granted the baby Italian citizenship.
The doctors argued that Indi was unaware of her surroundings, was suffering and should be allowed to die peacefully. Repeated legal attempts supported by Christian Concern have been rejected by British judges.
In a statement early Monday, the baby’s father sharply criticized the courts for even refusing to allow the baby to die at home.
“Claire and I are angry, heartbroken and ashamed,” Gregory said. “They succeeded in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul.”
The case is the latest in a series of legal battles between parents and doctors in the UK over the treatment of terminally ill children. British judges have repeatedly sided with doctors when the child’s best interests come first, even when parents object to proposed treatment.
On Friday, Appeal Court Judge Peter Jackson said doctors caring for Indi and other seriously ill children had been put in an “extremely challenging” position by the litigation and condemned what he described as “manipulative litigation tactics” that followed aimed to frustrate orders of judges after careful consideration.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni paid his respects in a social media post and wished the baby good luck.
“We did everything we could, everything possible,” Meloni wrote. “Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”