Family's legal fight against hospital over brain injury baby
- Published
Midrar Ali suffered a significant brain injury during complications at birth
The father of a brain-damaged baby boy has urged a hospital not to "rush" a decision to end his life support.
Doctors claim desperately ill Midrar Ali will never recover from the significant brain injury and it would be kinder to allow him to die.
His parents have launched a legal bid for his treatment to continue at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester.
Their case has come before the Family Division of the High Court in Preston for a preliminary hearing.
Midrar's mother Shokhan Ali, 28, had a normal pregnancy but complications during birth meant Midrar's brain was starved of oxygen.
He will be be three-months-old on Wednesday.
Midrar Ali with his parents who have kept up a bedside vigil at hospital
Neil Davy, representing Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said the hospital's main priority is that Midrar's "dignity is maintained".
However, his father Karwan Ali, 35, said: "It's important the court knows that Midrar is not in any pain, or suffering or deteriorating.
"In fact, Midrar has grown, he's got some sensitivity, he's opening his eyes a little bit.
"So I don't understand the rush of the hospital to do the procedure."
Mr Justice MacDonald ruled a hearing on 20 January will decide future treatment.
Speaking outside court, Mr Ali, who is a biomedical scientist, said the hospital had tried to "convince" the family to end his child's life support.
But he added: "No doctor, no biologist can keep a dead person alive for three months. The body does not work without the brain.
"I'm a biologist, I know that. The body does not work without the brain. We have evidence of him responding.
"The question is 'What's the rush?"'
Midrar Ali, whose family are from Manchester, is being cared for in hospital
The Alis' plight echoes that of similar recent cases including Alfie Evans, from Liverpool, born with an undiagnosed neurodegenerative disorder, who died last year, and Charlie Gard, whose parents fought a similar battle in 2017.