Charlie Gard’s death spurs fears for other babies

A family in Liverpool, U.K., fears their son could face the same fate as Charlie Gard, the terminally ill infant who died last week after a London hospital refused to release him for experimental treatment. Fourteen-month-old Alfie Evans has a mysterious seizure disorder and has been in a coma since December at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, according to The Mirror.

The hospital has not made any public statements about Alfie’s treatment, but a Facebook page dedicated to the boy said the hospital has advised his parents to remove life support.

Alfie’s father, Tom Evans, told The Mirror he has been in touch with numerous American hospitals trying to arrange treatment here for his son. Evans said Charlie Gard’s death, which followed a long legal battle that went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, devastated him.

“When I heard about Charlie, I just held Alfie as tight as I could, cuddled him and cried my eyes out,” Evans said. “I’m worried because I think Charlie might have had more of a chance than my son, who doesn’t even have a diagnosis. I’m worried about Alder Hey doing the same.”

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Associated Press/Photo by Jeff Roberson

Missouri adopts pro-life regulations

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens signed a pro-life bill last week mandating annual surprise inspections of abortion facilities by the state’s health department, among other measures. The bill passed during a special legislative session the governor called specifically to address abortion laws. The new law also forbids abortion facility workers from asking ambulance drivers to silence sirens or turn off lights when approaching the facility, enacts protection for whistleblowers at abortion facilities, and exempts pregnancy resource centers from an ordinance they said violated their First Amendment rights.

The ordinance created a protected class for people who support or who have had an abortion. Employers, lending agencies, and landlords were not allowed to discriminate against anyone based on their “reproductive health decisions.” —Samantha Gobba

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Associated Press/Photo by Jeff Roberson

Sign of the times

A jury acquitted a 74-year-old, nearly blind pro-life sidewalk counselor of battery charges last week after deciding the man had a right to defend his cardboard sign. David Schmidt, a volunteer with Kansas Coalition for Life, had been outside the South Wind Women’s Center in Wichita, Kan., when a security guard tried to take his sign. Schmidt resisted, and the guard had him charged with assault. The judge ruled that the security guard had no right to take the sign because of lack of city sign-code enforcement training. —S.G.

Not backing down

Pro-life group Operation Save America and federal prosecutors agreed to keep a “buffer zone” in place during last week’s protest in front of a Louisville, Ky., abortion facility. While protesters prayed, sang, and held signs unhindered, they were not allowed to physically block the front doors of EMW Women’s Surgical Center as they allegedly did in May. Abortion advocates staged their own counterprotest, shouting that Operation Save America is a “hate group” and the “American Taliban,” singing pop songs over the hymns, and covering pro-life signs with balloons. —S.G.