U.S. Representative Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, speaks with Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza following a roundtable discussion in Morton in April.
An amendment brought forth by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, will allow a British infant on life support lawful and permanent U.S. residency so he can receive experimental medical treatment that could save his life.
The amendment passed unanimously in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security bill.
It will allow the baby, Charlie Gard, and his parents residency so the 11-month-old who suffers from a rare genetic condition can receive treatment.
Gard has mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. The child is currently on life support, and his doctors said he will die from his illness, according to a release from Herrera Beutler’s office.
“Parents have the most at stake when it comes to standing up for their children, and right now we have an incredible opportunity to stand with a family and save a child’s life,” Herrera Beutler said in the release. “This amendment would speed up the process, cut through the bureaucratic red tape, and ease the path for Charlie to be able to receive medical treatment in the U.S. that his parents and medical specialists believe is worth pursuing.”
Charlie’s parents have been requesting specialized treatment that could improve their son’s conditions since November 2016. However, London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie has been receiving treatment, planned to remove him from life support, arguing the experimental treatment would only prolong the baby’s suffering, according to the release.
His parents raised at least $1.8 million to come to the U.S. to receive treatment from doctors who specialize in the genetic condition. The Family Division of Britain’s High Court denied the parents’ request to travel to the U.S. for the treatment.
Now, Herrera Beutler’s amendment will allow the Gard family to move to the nation for as long as necessary so Charlie can receive the experimental medical treatment from Dr. Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at New York’s Columbia University Medical Center. Hirano is also the chief at the division of Neuromuscular Disorders.
He testified the treatment could improve Charlie’s life by up to 50 percent, according to the release.
The amendment will now go to a vote on the House floor.
