The tragedy of Archie Battersbee
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Twelve-year-old Archie Battersbee was found unresponsive and severely brain damaged at his home in April. He never regained consciousness and had to be put on ventilation to be kept alive in hospital. For several months he was the subject of a legal tussle between his doctors who believed he was brain dead and that his life support should be turned off, and his parents who argued he could recover and fought to keep his life support on. Eventually, the hospital won out, and Archie was allowed to die. In this week's show we hear from Archie's mother about how the family's growing Christian faith sustained them, and also try to unpick the legal and religious arguments at stake in the courtrooms. And finally, we look into the contentious role of the Christian Legal Centre, who have played a central part in a series of similar controversies around severely ill children in recent years.
Released on 15 Aug 2022
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