Supporters of Alfie Evans protest outside Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool
The heart-breaking battle to keep little Alfie Evans, the 24-month-old UK baby boy on life support, continues this week.
Today, Alfie’s parents are urging protestors to return to stand with Alfie in one last urgent attempt to save his life. Director of Precious Life Bernadette Smyth flew to Liverpool this morning to stand in solidarity with Alfie and his family on behalf of Ireland’s pro-life movement. “Please continue to pray that this precious little boy will be protected and given the right to live, rather than killed by the same state which has for years in the UK tolerated the destruction of millions of unborn lives through the tragedy of abortion,” she said this morning.
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest," she continued.
In a move nothing short of profoundly unjust and inhumane, on Tuesday, Alfie was ordered to have his life support turned off on a date which was not released after his parents lost their legal bid to keep him on life support. It has now emerged that last night, hundreds of protesters stood outside Alder Heys children’s hospital in Liverpool in support of Alfie.
In an emotional video from his son's bedside, Mr Evans said he had a legal document that proves he has the right to remove the 23-month-old from hospital but he is being prevented from doing so. Police were called to the hospital following the protest, attended by hundreds who demanded Alfie be saved.
He added: "They have phoned the police over a child... look how innocent the boy is, look at him, he lies there eagerly waiting for his trip home. "How can this come to this?"
Later outside the hospital, Mr Evans held up three passports as he told the crowd that doctors from Poland had accompanied him and the family had planned to take Alfie for treatment in Italy.
The case is a stunningly unethical one which has shocked not only the UK but has sent ripples across the world, similarly to the Charlie Guard case in the summer. The courts have denied Alfie be given the treatment his family want to pursue, and they are now being held to ransom. Their child has been given a death sentence by the court system. Their reasoning behind this? They argue that it would be “inhumane” for Alfie to travel for treatment in Europe and to continue battling a severe illness, adopting the laissez-faire attitude that stands firmly against a pro-life ethic, ‘this child is not going to survive anyway, and so what is the point?’
The major problem here is glaring us all in the face; life is not disposable – it is worth fighting for. It is truly an attitude of blatant arrogance to assert that the state can guarantee for a fact that this child will not survive. The state has absolutely no proof that Alfie Evans will die regardless. If given the experimental treatment that Alfie’s parents, along with millions across the globe are advocating for, there is not one shred of evidence in existence to say that Alfie will not recover, despite how unlikely such an outcome may seem.
Although the professional medics and law-makers are undeniably smart and accomplished, their arrogance here has a cost. They are trained doctors and law makers, they are not fortune tellers, and they cannot see into the future. The recommendation to effectively terminate this little boy’s life appears to be based on fear, on ignorance, and on a sad lack of respect for human life, perfect or imperfect, regardless of physical, mental, or intellectual ability.
The pro-life worldview does not just apply to the issue of unborn children – it encompasses both the born and unborn. Life is sacred, precious and a miraculous gift; nobody, whether it be the state or an individual, ever has the right to take life away. Every single person, perfect or imperfect, has an inherent right to be born and to live from the moment of conception until natural death by virtue of their humanity, and any interference constitutes the taking of that life. The cruel and careless rationale that we see so often in our society today which justifies taking a life because that life will be a short-lived one is clearly at play here. Nobody is going to live forever on this earth – all life, in spite of its quality or duration – is equal and every heartbeat and breath is something to protect and cherish. Alfie Evans does not belong to the state, as the state seems to think, and to rob his parents of their right to choose life for their own child is a frivolous attack on both his parents’ and Alfie’s most basic and unalienable rights.
This extraordinarily sad case should stand as a stark warning sign for Ireland North and South at a time when this small country faces increasing international pressure to legalize abortion. It is a poignant reminder of the palpably devastating consequences of forsaking our most important value – the value and sanctity of each human life – in favour of following the callous pro-abortion worldview that the UK has long adopted. Since the passing of the 1967 abortion act, almost 9 million children throughout the UK, where Charlie’s battle has unfolded, have been killed by abortion.
We, the people of Ireland will protect all life, born and unborn, and we refuse to give into the imposition of the schizophrenic type of healthcare we see in the UK. The unbelievable case of little Alfie Evans exemplifies exactly what is destined to happen if abortion were to become legal here in Ireland. Abortion leads to the unapologetically eugenic discrimination that ensures that 90% of children with Down syndrome are killed by abortion in the UK every year and treats those with disabilities or illnesses as heavy burdens to be thrown off. Ireland must cherish all life equally, in order to promote a society where those with disabilities and imperfections are allowed to shine: ‘There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in. And the imperfections are where humanity is most visible.’
Please continue to pray that this precious little boy will be protected and given the right to live, rather than murdered by the same state which has for years in the UK tolerated the destruction of millions of unborn lives through the tragedy of abortion.