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Charlie Gard
# Charlie Gard
'We're not horrible people' - Mother of terminally-ill baby defends taking case to European court
Ten-month-old baby Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage from which he will not recover.
THE MOTHER OF a terminally-ill British baby has defended her decision to fight for her son in the European courts.
Connie Yates, the mother of Charlie Gard, spoke to Good Morning Britain today, a day after the European Court of Human Rights determined the child’s life support should be extended by three weeks.
Ten-month-old baby Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage from which he will not recover.
His parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates have been battling to raise funds and clear legal obstacles to allow him undergo a nucleoside therapy trial in the US.
More than £1.3 million has been raised online for the treatment, through more than 83,000 donations.
However, doctors have concluded that his treatment could cause prolonged suffering.
In April, a UK High Court judge had sided with the doctors and said that his life-support should be switched and he should be allowed to “die with dignity”.
That led to a European challenge, which has been prolonged.
Yates defended the decision of herself and Charlie’s father Chris Gard to pursue the action.
“I don’t see why a child has to die. There’s nothing harmful (in the medicine). We’re not going to harm our son.
“We love our son with every ounce of our being and we’ve got his best interests in mind.
“We’re not horrible people.”
Read: European rights court urges UK to keep treating baby with rare condition
