A ray of hope might be on the horizon for campaigners and parents seeking to challenge the absolute power of the NHS and the courts in deciding to end the life of seriously ill children.

Baroness Ilora Findlay has tabled an amendment to the forthcoming Health and Care Bill to allow parents a say in life-or-death decisions about children. This will involve a new system of mediation when parents and doctors disagree, a right to a second medical opinion, and access to legal aid. The proposed law would also prevent judges from stopping parents taking their children overseas for medical treatment from respected medical institutions, provided there is no major risk of harm to the child.