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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Seriously ill girl allowed to die | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A terminally ill girl has won the right to refuse treatment after a hospital ended its bid to force her to have a heart transplant. | |
| Herefordshire Primary Care Trust dropped a High Court case after a child protection officer said Hannah Jones was adamant she did not want surgery. | Herefordshire Primary Care Trust dropped a High Court case after a child protection officer said Hannah Jones was adamant she did not want surgery. |
| Hannah, 13, of Marden, near Hereford, said she wanted to die with dignity. | |
| She said the operation might not work, and if it did work, it would be followed by constant medication. | |
| Hannah, who has a hole in her heart, was interviewed by the child protection officer after the trust applied for a court order in February to force the transplant. | |
| Parents 'proud' | |
| She said she wanted to stop treatment and spend the rest of her life at home. | She said she wanted to stop treatment and spend the rest of her life at home. |
| The BBC's Jane Deith, who has followed Hannah's legal battle, said: "Hannah managed to convince this officer that this was a decision she had made on her own and she had thought about it over a long period of time, and eventually the court proceeding was dropped." | The BBC's Jane Deith, who has followed Hannah's legal battle, said: "Hannah managed to convince this officer that this was a decision she had made on her own and she had thought about it over a long period of time, and eventually the court proceeding was dropped." |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/default.stm">More from Today programme | |
| Our reporter said that the girl's parents supported her decision and were "very proud of her". | Our reporter said that the girl's parents supported her decision and were "very proud of her". |
| "She didn't take the decision lightly, and she had chosen that she wanted to live and die in dignity at home with her parents." | "She didn't take the decision lightly, and she had chosen that she wanted to live and die in dignity at home with her parents." |
| The Daily Telegraph quoted Hannah's father Andrew, 43, as saying: "It is outrageous that the people from the hospital could presume we didn't have our daughter's best interests at heart. | The Daily Telegraph quoted Hannah's father Andrew, 43, as saying: "It is outrageous that the people from the hospital could presume we didn't have our daughter's best interests at heart. |
| "Hannah had been through enough already and to have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful." | "Hannah had been through enough already and to have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful." |
| Hannah previously suffered from leukaemia and her heart has been weakened by drugs she was required to take from the age of five. | Hannah previously suffered from leukaemia and her heart has been weakened by drugs she was required to take from the age of five. |
| Holiday cancelled | |
| Last week her father was forced to cancel plans to take her to Disneyland because he could not get insurance for her. | |
| The family had been given the holiday to the US by the charity Cauldwell Children. | |
| Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association's ethics committee, said a child of Hannah's age was able to make an informed decision to refuse treatment. | |
| He said the House of Lords had ruled in the 1980s that a child who understood the issues and consequences could be considered legally competent. | |
| It followed the case of Victoria Gillick who took her health authority to court claiming she should be informed if her daughters were prescribed contraception. | |
| Hannah's parents reportedly said they believed a locum GP raised concerns over Hannah with the child protection team. | |
| Dr Calland said he understood why a doctor might have taken this action. | |
| He said: "I think some doctors take the view that they must intervene and they are making that decision in what they see as the best interests of the patient. | |
| "But of course best interests of patients is not just the best medical interests - it's the overall holistic interests of the person in general. | |
| "I think in this particular case it's obvious that the parents and the child had made a perfectly reasonable decision and the doctor obviously came to a different view and was trying to use the law to support his view. | |
| "I think obviously a child of 13 with these circumstances should be perfectly capable of making the decision and particularly when supported by the parents. | |
| "But of course there have been cases where parents have successfully supported the child and that is not in the best interests of the child." | |
| Have you been affected by issues raised in this story? | Have you been affected by issues raised in this story? |
| Send your comments using the post form below, or text 61124. | Send your comments using the post form below, or text 61124. |
| In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. | In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. |