Parents who claim they were 'gagged' in legal proceedings about their dying children have gathered at the Supreme Court as justices consider allowing the naming of doctors involved in two end-of-life cases. Isaiah Haastrup, aged 12 months, and six-year-old Zainab Abbasi were at the center of life-support treatment disputes at the High Court in London prior to their deaths in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Last year, Zainab's parents and Isaiah's father won a Court of Appeal fight to have the clinicians named, but the two NHS trusts involved, in Newcastle and London, are bringing a challenge to the UK's highest court [15b19682].
The Supreme Court in London is currently considering whether to allow the naming of doctors involved in two end-of-life cases. The cases involve Isaiah Haastrup, who died at the age of 12 months, and Zainab Abbasi, who died at the age of six. Both children were at the center of life-support treatment disputes at the High Court in London. Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the parents of the two children, allowing the clinicians involved to be named. However, the NHS trusts in Newcastle and London are now challenging this ruling in the Supreme Court [15b19682].
The parents of Isaiah Haastrup and Zainab Abbasi, who were involved in end-of-life treatment disputes at the High Court in London, are hoping that the Supreme Court will allow the naming of doctors involved in their children's cases. Last year, the parents won a Court of Appeal battle to have the clinicians named, but the NHS trusts in Newcastle and London are now bringing a challenge to the Supreme Court. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for future end-of-life cases and the ability of parents to speak out about their experiences [15b19682].
Antonya Cooper, a 77-year-old woman from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, who ended the life of her terminally ill son, Hamish, in 1981, has died of cancer. Cooper administered a lethal dosage of morphine to her seven-year-old son, who suffered from stage-4 neuroblastoma. She died over the weekend following a diagnosis of incurable breast, pancreatic, and liver cancer. Cooper's daughter, Tabitha, stated that her mother died peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family. Cooper had confessed to ending her son's life in an interview with the BBC, expressing her belief that it was the right thing to do to prevent him from experiencing intense pain and suffering. Assisted dying remains illegal in England, but Cooper's actions were an effort to change the law on assisted dying. Cooper and her husband, along with another couple who had lost their child to the same cancer, formed The Neuroblastoma Society in 1982 to raise awareness and funds for research into the disease. Cooper's contributions to the charity were highly valued, and her legacy will live on through the research they fund. The police are currently investigating the reports of assisted dying in Hamish's case.