Italy: Government granted citizenship to infant to avoid euthanasia

Citizenship to a little girl of only eight months, who was born in Britain and suffers from rare genetics disease granted today by Italian government. The infant called Indy Gregory is fighting against time.

Thus, the Italian Cabinet, knowing that the baby suffers from mitochondrial pathology, a disease that causes failure to develop all the muscles, took the decision to grant citizenship in order to enter the operating room immediately.

According to doctors, the rare degenerative genetic disease is considered incurable, so the High Court in London had in recent days refused to transfer her to Italy, where doctors at Rome’s Bambino Gesu (Little Jesus) hospital made themselves available in the care of the small patient.

As reported by La Repubblicaaccording to the High Court in London today at 3pm artificial respiration should have stopped. On the contrary, Italian legislation prohibits any form of euthanasia. Notably, little Indy – who is currently being treated at Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham – is moving, crying, smiling and observing her surroundings.

So, with an urgent procedure and a seemingly lightning-quick – for the institutional data – move, the Italian Council of Ministers met today at noon and awarded little Indi the Italian citizenship.

In fact, according to La Repubblica, the decision is the culmination of negotiations by the Italian government “over several weeks, under strict confidentiality”. According to a press release, the Italian government has also informed the management of the Italian hospital and Indy’s family of its commitment to cover the cost of any medical treatment deemed necessary.

“I’m proud that my daughter is Italian,” said little Edie’s father, Dean Gregory, who said his daughter was a drain on the English healthcare system.

It is a decision that is open to controversy. The position of Andrea Crisanti, a well-known doctor during the coronavirus pandemic and a senator of the Democratic Party, is typical, according to which the transfer of little Edi is “an unnecessary barbarity” and speaks of a “political case” on the part of the government.