Baby girl passes away after being taken off life support by a UK court

In the wee hours of Monday morning, Indi, an 8-month-old girl suffering from mitochondrial disease, passed away.

Her parents had given her the nickname “mito warrior” in honour of her fight against the rare and terminal illness. Despite doctors’ advice that Indi was in pain and there was little they could do for her, the family’s widely reported struggle to have her treated continued with her death marked the end of the case.

In an attempt to find different treatments, the family had pushed the Royal Courts of Justice to keep Indi on life support and move her to a paediatric hospital in Rome. In the end, though, the court decided in favour of Indi’s doctors, who contended that it was best for her to stop her life support and allow her to pass away in a hospital or hospice.

When Indi contracted an infection in the hospital in August, her condition deteriorated. Indi needed a ventilator eight times during her stay at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, and she experienced three episodes of cardiac arrest. By September, Indi had been put on total life support. The hospital filed a petition with the London High Court to rule that it is acceptable for Indi’s treating physicians to withhold necessary care and painful interventions because it is not in her best interests to receive them.

A judge approved the hospital’s request on October 13, but she also declared that invasive treatments have more drawbacks than benefits. After receiving Italian citizenship over the next few days, Indi’s case was taken up by Italian Senator Simone Pillon and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

After being taken by ambulance to a hospice on Sunday, Indi dozed off the entire ride there. World leaders, including Pope Francis, expressed their well-wishes for the family and directed their prayers towards all the children who are suffering or risking their lives due to illness and conflict during these same hours.