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Professor Emily Jackson on the Tafida Raqeeb life-support case

4 October 2019

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Professor Emily Jackson recently appeared on BBC News at Ten (3 October 2019) discussing the case of Tafida Raqeeb whose parents have won a high court battle to keep their daughter on life support and take her to Italy for treatment. Professor Jackson commented that all decisions involving the medical treatment of children are fact-specific, so the decision in this case applies only to the very particular set of facts here.

"Unlike in many previous cases in which doctors and parents have disagreed, Tafida was not in pain and life-prolonging treatment was not burdensome for her. She would not suffer from being taken to Italy, and continuing life-prolonging treatment was consistent with a responsible body of medical opinion.In these circumstances – where continuing life support might not benefit Tafida, but nor would it likely cause her any suffering – the judge ruled the decision could be taken by her parents, in the light of their religious beliefs about the sanctity of human life."