Hospital First Refuses, Then Allows, Pastor to Pray for Baby Charlie Gard: "I Can't Even Put It Into Words, It Was so Moving"

Claire Chretien : Jul 10, 2017
LifeSiteNews.com

"Only this precious life could touch a president, a pope, people of diverse backgrounds." -Rev. Patrick Mahoney

(England)—[LifeSiteNews] The hospital fighting to remove 11-month-old Charlie Gard from life support blocked a Presbyterian minister invited by Charlie's parents from praying at his bedside, and then reversed course and let him in. (Photo: Facebook-Patrick Mahoney)

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, pastor of Church on the Hill and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington, DC, is one of several international human rights activists who flew to England to help Chris Gard and Connie Yates in their ongoing struggle to treat their son.

They've been fighting in European courts for their right to bring Charlie to the U.S. for experimental treatment for his rare mitochondrial disease. They raised over $1 million to do this, but English courts sided with the hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, which wants to remove him from life support rather than allow him to be transferred to another hospital.

Then, the European Court of Human Rights also sided with the hospital. Charlie was scheduled to die on Friday, June 30, but his parents have been granted more time with him. The hospital has the legal right to turn off Charlie's life support at any time now, and his parents aren't allowed to take him out of the hospital.

On Friday, July 7, Great Ormond Street Hospital asked the High Court to re-hear "fresh evidence" about possible alternative treatment for Charlie. The hospital says it hasn't changed its position, but thinks the court should hear the new information, which Mahoney told LifeSiteNews is "very compelling for Charlie."

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