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Piers Morgan fiercely defends Charlie Gard in GMB interview

But some viewers weren't happy with his style

The High Court are due to hear new evidence in the Charlie Gard case today and Piers Morgan made his beliefs very clear on the matter on today’s Good Morning Britain.

On Friday Charlie’s mum, Connie Yates, went to GMB and gave an interview saying there was now evidence that the experimental treatment they want Charlie to receive has a 10 percent chance of being successful.

Yesterday Connie, alongside Charlie’s dad, Chris Gard, delivered a petition signed by more than 350,000 people to Great Ormond Street calling for the doctors to allow the sick baby to go to the US for the treatment.

This morning Piers and co-host Susanna Reid interviewed consultant paediatrician, Dr Ravi Jayaram about what’s going on. Dr Jayaram is not one of the doctors working on Charlie’s case, but he has experienced helping the parents of terminally ill children who have to face the devastating moment of turning off life support.

Read more: Fresh hope for Charlie Gard

As they discussed Great Ormond Street’s position on the treatment, Dr Jayaram said:

“The assessments the doctors have done would suggest that the baseline condition of Charlie is at a stage where, in terms of organ failure and how his brain works, even with the treatment that might treat the underlying disease, it will not actually reverse his condition.

“His parents disagree with that assessment and they feel his baseline condition isn’t as bad as assessed and think there’s a chance to turn it around.

“As doctors we have a duty of care to the child and we have to make sure we’re not prolonging suffering and we are not actually prolonging the process of dying rather than continuing life.”

But Piers wasn’t satisfied, and despite insisting he had huge admiration for Great Ormond Street, he asked: “Why can’t we let that little boy and his parents try it? I don’t get that point?”

“We have to look at benefit versus risk, what we don’t know is what the potential risks of this treatment are. Reportedly they are very low…”

“Why does it matter?” Piers interrupted.

“If the treatment causes suffering, there are risks involved in transporting him to America…”

Again, Piers interrupted: “That’s a risk the parents are prepared to take. How is that any worse than turning off his machine if he was to die in transit? It couldn’t be any worse anyway so why not give him a chance?”

“It’s a question of dignity in death,” said Dr Jayaram before Piers interjected again.

“Parents should have final say. It’s their child.”

“Ultimately we have to think of the well-being of the child,” replied Dr Jayaram.

But Piers wasn’t letting it go and challenged the doctor again, asking how he would feel if it was his child, and how he’d react if doctors and courts were telling him he had “zero rights to even try experimental treatment”.

As the doctor insisted they needed to try and make collaborative decisions with parents, Piers once more made himself heard saying there was “no collaboration” and that they were “just being told no”.

The discussion continued and Piers finished that he finds “it such a heartbreaking case” adding:

“The system is conspiring to stop these parents having a chance for their child.”

Although many believe in Piers’ sentiments, viewers weren’t impressed with his line of questioning, accusing him of cutting off the expert and not letting him speak.

On Friday, Connie explained to GMB that new scientific evidence has come to light that the experimental medication she and Charlie’s dad Chris want to test on their son could be successful.

Read more: Holly and Phil openly weep on This Morning as mum describes her boy’s death

There are 18 other people in the world with the 11-month-old’s condition and, Connie explained, there has been compelling evidence that treatment is working.

“[There have been] amazing responses very quickly in 18 patients,” she said. “One girl went from just being able to open her eyes to six months later, being able to run around. One was, like Charlie, on a ventilator, one year later they were later running around on a bike.”

Asked by hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway how she and Chris are coping, Connie opened up about their nightmare.

“Absolute living hell,” she said. “You can’t put into words how horrible it is that he’s our flesh and blood and we don’t have a say in his life whatsoever. We are not bad parents, we are devoted to him.”

Connie revealed that she had just given her son his first haircut, as “he was starting to look like the Nutty Professor”, and she was keeping the cuttings.

She does the same with his nails too, admitting: “I keep the clippings in case it’s the last time I cut them.”

The exhausted mum went on to explain that Charlie was originally due to die last Friday; the date of his ventilator being switched off was then moved to Monday and then – as she understands it – the White House “got involved and changed things”.

Asked what kind of hope there was if they were allowed to proceed with the experimental medication, Connie said:

“There is a 10 % chance, I think that is worth it.

“Everybody wants to live. My little boy is just lying there. It’s his best interest to have a chance at life.

Charlie and his family have gained support from all over the world as Charlie’s ‘army’ fight for him to stay alive.

As the case goes global, supporters from countries including America, France, Spain and Italy are reaching out through social media, reportedly posting a message every single second in a bid to save him.

Charlie suffers with mitochondrial depletion syndrome, a condition which causes muscle weakness and brain damage. Only 16 people in the world are said to ever have had the condition and his parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, have been fighting through the courts to be allowed to take him to America for experimental treatment.

The European Court of Humans Rights ruled last week that little Charlie should have his life support machine switched off.

Earlier this week, the Pope and US president Donald Trump vowed to help the terminally ill baby, and now in America a tweet or Facebook post is allegedly being written about the tot every second.

People are using the hashtags #JeSuisCharlieGard and #SaveCharlieGard so much they are now trending.

The social media outlets are also being used to organise protests across the country to save Charlie’s life.

Politicians such as Theresa May and Boris Johnson are also being tweeted as supporters beg them to intervene and give the little one a chance at survival.

With many posting paintings of mothers protecting their babies, some supporters have now claimed their posts are being classed as spam and have been censored.

Charlie’s family have claimed their campaign account page @Fight4Charlie has been censored so have set up a new page @charliesfight.

The little one’s life support was initially due to be switched off last Friday, but Great Ormond Street hospital reportedly gave the family a few more days to say goodbye.

The US President intervened on Monday, writing on Twitter: “If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.”

Trump’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow, also tweeted: “I have contacted my office in Strasbourg, France to intervene in support of baby #CharlieGard’s family. We must always fight for life.”

Hours after Trump offered to help the tot it’s understood that an American hospital then offered to treat Charlie for free if he is allowed to travel to the States.

Chris and Connie managed to raise over £1.3 million to take him to America but were previously told the tot was too ill to travel the distance.

While medical experts said the treatment wouldn’t be able to save Charlie’s life.

A White House spokesperson has said: “Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard’s situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heartbreaking situation.

“Although the President himself has not spoken to the family, he does not want to pressure them in any way.

“Members of the administration have spoken to the family in calls facilitated by the British government.”

“The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible.

“Due to legal issues, we cannot confirm the name of doctor or hospital where the baby could be treated in the United States,” they added.

The Pope has also offered his support through a statement released by The Vatican. It said the Pope is following the case with “affection and sadness”.

It also added: “For them he prays, hoping that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.”

The Vatican children’s hospital has appealed for Charlie to be transferred to his care, but foreign secretary Boris Johnson has said it’s not possible for Charlie to be moved.

Earlier this year, Connie and Chris left This Morning viewers in tears after explaining they had just one month to save the life of their baby boy.

Speaking on the ITV daytime show back in March, Connie made a desperate plea for people to help save her son.

She said: “We can’t just let our baby die when there is hope and treatment available that might help him.

“If Charlie receives this treatment and it does work it won’t just be his life that’s saved, it will be many more children in future who are born with this horrible disease.

“Like any loving parents, we will do whatever it takes to save our baby’s life.”


Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)