Charlie Gard Case: President Trump Offers American 'Help'

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump tweeted on Monday an offer of help to "little" Charlie Gard, a British infant with a terminal genetic disorder at the center of a high-profile court case in the United Kingdom.

"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 wrote. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, have been publicly fighting the hospital caring for their son, which determined that it would be best to remove the life support currently keeping him alive. Initially, the parents fought in the courts to bring their son to the United States for a highly experimental treatment they hoped could ameliorate his condition, known as infantile-onset encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. The treatment has never been tried on an infant with Charlie's specific condition.

The parents fought the hospital's decision all the way up to the supreme court, but the ruling remained the same: Since experts were convinced Charlie's brain damage due to his condition could not be repaired by the treatment, it was found to be in his best interest to remove life support.

But the parents have continued to fight, saying the hospital would not allow them to take Charlie home so he could die peacefully with them.

“We can't even take our own son home to die,” Yates said in a video. The hospital does not publicly comment on specific cases. However, according to a statement from the parents to the Daily Mail, the doctors have decided to allow the parents to have additional time with their son before they remove his life support.

In addition to the president, the Vatican has also reached out to offer support for the family.

It's not clear what help the United States government could offer in this case.

"Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard's situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heartbreaking situation," said Helen Ferre, the director of media affairs at the White House. "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."

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images