Italy grants citizenship to baby girl in Britain to prevent weaning off life support

ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government on Monday granted citizenship to a critically ill baby girl from Britain, in a move aimed at preventing doctors from weaning her off life support and allowing her to be moved to Italy.

Eight-month-old Indi Gregory suffers from a rare mitochondrial disease, which means that her cells do not produce enough energy. A hospital in Nottingham, central England, says there is no point in continuing treatment.

England's High Court agreed, ruling last month it was in the baby's "best interests" to be taken off life support, and refusing last week a request from her parents to be allowed to take her to the Vatican's children hospital in Rome.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government stepped into the controversy by holding an emergency meeting on Monday which made Gregory an Italian citizen. It was the sole item on the cabinet's agenda.

Thanks to this, Gregory "will be able to access care at the Bambino Gesu paediatric hospital", Galeazzo Bignami, a deputy minister from Meloni's hard-right Brothers of Italy party, said on Facebook.

Had the government not acted, life support machines would have been turned off on Monday, Bignami said.

Gregory's parents will now be able appeal to the Italian consulate in Britain to ask that she be transferred to Italy, an Italian government source told Reuters, adding however that there was no obligation for Britain to grant the request.

According to Christian Concern, a group that represents the parents, the Italian government has offered to cover the costs of treatment at the Bambino Gesu, a Vatican-run facility near St Peter's.

"Even if the transfer to Italy involves some risk, the only alternative we have been offered in the UK is to go along with Indi's death. There is nothing to lose for us or for Indi," the group quoted Indi's father, Dean Gregory, as saying.

A Bambino Gesu spokesperson had no comment but Christian Concern has released a statement from the president of the hospital confirming that it was ready to accept Indi as a patient.

The case has echoes of one from 2018 when a British court rejected an attempt by the parents of a critically ill 23-month-old toddler to take home to the Bambino Gesu. The toddler, Alfie Evans, died a few days after his life support was removed.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, additional reporting by Gavin Jones, Editing by Nick Macfie)