Indi Gregory Dies as Life Support Removed after Legal Battle
Indi Gregory. (Source: Dean Gregory)
Indi Gregory, a critically ill British baby at the centre of a legal battle spanning two countries, has died after life support removal.
Born in February 2023, eight-month-old Indi Gregory suffered from a rare and incurable mitochondrial disease. This genetic condition prevents the cells from producing enough energy to support the body. As a result, Indi was put on life support in early September at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.
With no hope for recovery, doctors deemed that keeping her on life support was not in her best interest. They argued that it would only prolong the baby’s suffering before an inevitable death. Indi’s parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, launched a legal battle to keep their child on life support, backed by campaign group Christian Concern.
The legal case was followed particularly closely in Italy, as Indi’s parents hoped to transfer their child to paediatric hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome. The hospital agreed to take in Indi and the Italian government granted her Italian citizenship in an effort to facilitate the transfer. They also offered to fund the treatment in full.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, wrote a letter to the UK’s Lord Chancellor arguing for Indi’s transfer under the Hague Convention. However, the case remained firmly in the hands of UK courts. Through numerous appeals, judges have consistently sided with the doctors’ opinion that prolonging Indi’s treatment was not in her best interest, as it caused her pain and was “futile”.
The Court Ruling
On Friday 10 November, three UK judges – Lord Justice Peter Jackson, Lady Justice Eleanor King, and Lord Justice Andrew Moylan – ruled that the Italian intervention was “wholly misconceived”, and ordered the removal of Indi’s life support. They also ruled against a further appeal by Indi’s parents asking to remove life support at home rather than in hospice.
Life support withdrawn, Indi passed away in the early morning hours of Monday 13 November. Her father Dean said, “Indi’s life ended at 01.45am. Claire and I are angry, heartbroken, and ashamed. The NHS and the Courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life, but they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home where she belonged.
“They did succeed in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul. They tried to get rid of Indi without anybody knowing, but we made sure she would be remembered forever. I knew she was special from the day she was born.
“Claire held her for her final breaths.”
Indi’s case is a latest in a series of high-profile cases where families and doctors disagree over whether keeping children on life support is in their best interest. As with the recent cases of Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans, and Archie Battersbee, UK courts stepped in to make the ultimate decision.
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