Doctors need not ventilate baby to prolong his life

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7473.995

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Clare Dyer, legal correspondent

Doctors caring for a terminally ill baby with a chromosomal disorder need not provide mechanical ventilation to prolong his life, the senior family judge for England and Wales ruled last week.

The case of 9 month old Luke Winston-Jones is the second battle between parents and doctors over the treatment of a baby with a limited life expectancy to reach the High Court in the last month.

Both Luke's mother and the parents of 12 month old Charlotte Wyatt described their infants as “fighters” because both had lived longer than …