The parents of an eight-month-old baby are waging a legal battle to stop his life support being switched off by doctors in London. Specialists at King’s College Hospital say giving further treatment to Isaiah Haastrup would be “futile, burdensome and not in his best interests”.
But the boy’s parents, Takesha Thomas and Lanre Haastrup, have refused to let his ventilator be switched off and are seeking the opinions of independent experts.
Mr Haastrup has also been banned from visiting Isaiah following an incident where police were called earlier this month.
Fiona Paterson, representing King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told the Family Division of the High Court relations between hospital staff and Isaiah’s parents were difficult.
She said Mr Haastrup had been banned as a result of an incident on 3 November, adding that the prohibition would remain in place “until we are satisfied his behaviour will improve”.
But the baby’s father told Mr Justice MacDonald that there was no violence involved.
“Police were simply called by [hospital staff] for breach of the peace,” he added. “I am not a saint but I am not a demon either, as is being portrayed.”
Mr Haastrup said there had been a ”lack of care“ for Isaiah and told journalists outside the court in London that he was considering seeking a judicial review of the hospital’s ban, although his application for that review was declined.
Isaiah has been on life support since being born with brain damage thought to have been caused by oxygen deprivation on 18 February, and remains in a paediatric intensive care unit.
King’s College Hospital accepts his condition was partly contributed to by a delay giving his mother an emergency caesarean, but said the main reason was a rare event where her womb ruptured during labour.