PRESSURE

350,000 Sign Petition for Charlie Gard to Get Treatment in U.S.

The parents of the terminally ill baby have received the support of President Trump and Pope Francis.

More than 350,000 people have signed a petition demanding that terminally-ill British baby Charlie Gard be allowed to get treatment in the United States. The baby’s parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, delivered the petition to the hospital where their son is being kept on life support. “He's our son, he’s our flesh and blood. We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life,” Yates said. Courts in Europe have so far blocked a potential visit to the U.S. to seek treatment for the rare form of mitochondrial disease, but the case will be re-heard on Monday. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis have offered their support, and two members of Congress have urged Trump to give the baby American citizenship.