Vatican City, May 29, 2018 / 12:33 pm
A month after the death of UK toddler Alfie Evans, the Vatican's Bambino Gesu children's hospital issued a new charter on the "rights of the incurable child," outlining basic rights for both parents and children.
Among other things, the charter says children with terminal diseases have the right to second opinions and better diagnostic and palliative care, as well as the right to better experimental treatments and to be moved across international borders.
The charter was presented May 29 as part of a seminar course titled "Are there incurable children?" It took place a month after the April 28 death of Alfie Evans, a gravely ill toddler who passed away just before his second birthday after being removed from life support during an intense legal battle over his treatment.
Consisting of 10 articles, the hospital's new charter draws on previous national and international charters for the rights of hospitalized children, and affirms that proper medical care does not involve just looking for a cure, but also includes palliative care, as well as spiritual and psychological support for the family.