British baby Charlie Gard at center of legal battle has died

Charlie Gard, an 11-month-old British baby with a terminal illness, died on Friday, according to his parents.

“Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie,” said Connie Yates, the boy’s mother, according to the Daily Mail.

Gard had mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, a rare disease caused by a genetic mutation. It leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction as sufferers do not get energy in parts of their body such as their brain, kidneys and muscles. There is no known cure.

Yates and Chris Gard on Monday withdrew their lawsuit that aimed to take Charlie to the U.S. for experimental treatment; his condition had significantly deteriorated and his parents were prevented from moving him out of Great Ormond Street hospital, according to the Guardian.

Yates and Gard said their “last wish” was to allow their son to die at home. A court denied their request to take him home from the hospital on Thursday, and he was instead sent to a children’s hospice, according to the Guardian.

The parents had tried for months to remove Charlie from the hospital, and a House committee and even President Donald Trump expressed support for him coming to the U.S. for an experimental treatment. But parental rights are not absolute when it comes to medical treatment under British law, and Charlie’s doctors were advocating to cut Charlie’s life support rather than have him suffer further. Courts consistently denied the parents’ requests to remove their son from the hospital’s care.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 12:41 PM with the headline "British baby Charlie Gard at center of legal battle has died."