Charlie’s Law Needs You!
Dear supporter,
We need your support: Ask your MP to vote for Charlie’s Law (Clause 182 titled “Dispute resolution in children’s palliative care”)
As you will know, the Foundation has been working closely with MPs, NHS professionals, world-leading medical ethicists, and legal experts to help create a legal framework that would resolve disagreements between parents and medical professionals over the course of treatment of a child, increase palliative care provisions and avoid cases escalating rapidly to court, which benefits neither parents nor clinicians and can cost them, the NHS and Government millions in legal fees every year
In recent months we’ve worked with Baroness Finlay to table this legal framework as an amendment to the Health and Care Bill. On Wednesday 16th March 2022, the House of Lords voted in favour of Baroness Finlay’s amendment titled “Dispute resolution in children’s palliative care” by 112 votes to 107.
As supporters of the Foundation and our work, we would be extremely grateful if you might consider contacting your local MP, requesting that they vote in favour of the amendment (now Clause 182) should the House be divided for a vote next week on Wednesday 30th March 2022.
Below is a draft e-mail for you to consider sharing with your local MP ahead of 30/03/2022.
You can find the contact details of your local MP by typing in your postcode here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP.
With your support, we hope Charlie’s Law will one day become Law, and parents and doctors will receive the right support so cases don’t end up in court.
Thank you and kindest regards,
The Charlie Gard Foundation and Charlie’s Law Team
Draft Email
<enter your address>
Dear <enter MP name here>,
Health and Care Bill
Consideration of Lords amendments – House of Commons
Clause 182 titled “Dispute resolution in children’s palliative care”
Introduced by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
To be considered on Wednesday 30th March 2022
I am writing on behalf of the Charlie Gard Foundation, the leading UK charity supporting children, adults and their families that have been affected by mitochondrial disease.
On Wednesday 16th March 2022, the House of Lords voted in favour of Baroness Finlay of Llandaff’s amendment to the Health and Care Bill titled “Dispute resolution in children’s palliative care” by 112 votes to 107.
The purpose of the amendment is to ensure both parents and clinicians voices are heard when making decisions about a child’s treatment and to avoid cases escalating rapidly to court, which benefits neither parents nor clinicians and can cost them, the NHS and Government millions in legal fees every year.
The amendment seeks to achieve this by ensuring:
- the views of parents are listened to, and taken into account;
- access to relevant medical data, so an additional medical opinion can be gained;
- clinicians, when their views are at variance with the parents, explain to the parents how the proposed treatment is likely to cause significant harm rather than the desired benefit to the child as perceived by the parents; and
- early access to independent mediation for both parents and clinicians if needed.
I would be extremely grateful if you might consider voting in favour of the amendment (Clause 182) should the House of Commons be divided for a vote.
I’m copying in the Foundation’s Head of Communications Stephanie Roundsmith (stephanie@thecharliegardfoundation.org) should you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
