Italy grants citizenship to seriously ill British child to save her life

A meeting of the Italian Council of Ministers can save a life that would otherwise have been easily sacrificed in the UK

A fight against time is now underway to save the life of Indi Gregory, the eight-month-old girl suffering from a rare mitochondrial disease for whom the High Court in London had ordered the suspension of life-sustaining treatment as of 3pm today, Italian time. The child’s parents insisted on transferring the little girl to Italy, where there is hope of survival for her at the Bambin Gesù hospital in Rome, but their request was rejected.

To try to save the little girl’s life, the Meloni government decided to grant the child Italian citizenship under Article 9, paragraph 2 of Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992. This law, created to grant Italian citizenship for cases of ‘national interest’ will this time be used to save a life. The rescue of a non-Italian child has become a ‘National Interest’ of the Italian republic, and this is really very human, very ‘Italian’.

This morning, in fact, the emergency Council of Ministers was convened to finalise the file before the child’s disconnection from the machines keeping her alive. The Roman hospital had offered to take care of the little girl for some time but it was necessary to start the procedure to allow the child’s transfer to Italy. As sources at Palazzo Chigi report, the negotiations had been going on under wraps for some time and today we have reached the final chapter in this story.

The child is being treated at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) of the University of Nottingham. For mitochondrial diseases, there is no cure and for some ultra-rare and severe mutations, such as Indi’s, there are no therapies available that can slow down the course of the disease. British doctors, recalls the Mitocon Association, claim that the therapies Indi receives cause her unnecessary pain, so, ‘in her best interests’, the judges authorised the Nottingham hospital to suspend therapies and life supports such as assisted ventilation. The choice of the English system is ethical for cases such as Indi’s where there is no certified treatment.

However, the child’s parents do not agree with the doctors’ reading that the child is suffering and have asked the court to give their daughter a chance in Italy.

At the beginning of November, the court had opposed the transfer but with the approval of the Italian citizenship there will be no more obstacles and the little girl will be able to arrive in Rome on a special flight.

Now the child will have the chance to arrive at the Bambin Gesù paediatric hospital in Rome. Mitochondrial diseases are serious, but not completely incurable, and recently successful mitochondrial transplants have been performed. As long as there is life there is hope.