(CNN) The parents of the terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have given up their legal fight over treatment for their son in the United States.

Their lawyer Grant Armstrong told the UK High Court Monday that experts have said that the "window of opportunity no longer exists."

"For Charlie, it is too late ... treatment cannot offer a chance of success," he told the court.

Charlie's parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates made their decision following the latest medical reports and scans.

"Dark days lie ahead for these parents ... they want to spend time with Charlie," Armstrong said.

Rare genetic mutation

Charlie, whose first birthday is August 4, was born with a genetic disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. It leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction, among other symptoms. The prognosis is poor for most patients. Charlie is unable to breathe or move on his own.

With legal battle over, baby Charlie Gard will begin receiving palliative care.

Great Ormond Street Hospital -- where Charlie has been since October 2016 -- received permission from the European Court of Human Rights in June to discontinue life support in spite of his parents desire to bring him to the US for an experimental therapy called nucleoside bypass therapy. It has never been used to treat Charlie's form of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

The doctors at GOSH have argued that every medical option has already been considered and treatment in another country would not be in Charlie's best interest.

Dr. Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and a leading expert on Charlie's condition, flew to London last week to assess the child. Both he and prominent Vatican pediatrician Dr. Enrico Silvio Bertini asked for a brain and full body scan on Charlie, according to a statement handed out by the parents' lawyers.

"Sadly, following the body MRI the parents' worst fears have been confirmed by their team of international experts that it is too late to treat Charlie," the statement said. The MRI body scan gauged muscle wastage.

Hirano said a treatment known as nucleoside bypass therapy had a minimum 10% chance of bringing about significant improvement in Charlie's condition.

The lawyers said if Charlie had been able to have the treatment they had suggested earlier, then there might have been hope.

In ending their legal fight, the court issued a new judgment that upholds an April ruling to discontinue life support and provide Charlie with palliative care.

"Our staff share the parents' sadness over Charlie whom they have cared for with dedication during the months he has spent at Great Ormond Street Hospital," a statement said. The hospital acknowledged the complexity of the situation as one dealing with medical ethics and experimental treatment.

"These parents should know that no parent could have done more than they did for their child," said Justice Nicholas Francis, who is presiding over the case.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates speak following their decision to end their legal challenge.

He was critical of those who weighed in on the case without knowing the facts. Both the Pope and US President Donald Trump have shown their support for Charlie's parents.

"When cases such as this go viral, the watching world feels entitled to weigh in regardless of whether or not they are informed on the facts of the case," Justice Francis said Monday.

"Our son is an absolute warrior and we could not be prouder of him and we will miss him terribly," Yates told the court.

"Charlie has had a greater impact on and touched more people in this world in his 11 months than many people do in a lifetime.

Join the conversation See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

"We will do our utmost to ensure that no parents have to go through what we have been through and the next Charlie that comes along will get this medicine before it's too late and Charlie will save many more lives in the future, no doubt about that.

"We are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son Charlie, who unfortunately won't make his first birthday in just under two weeks' time."</s>The parents of the terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have given up their legal fight over treatment for their son.

Their lawyer Grant Armstrong told the UK High Court Monday that experts have said that the "window of opportunity no longer exists."

"For Charlie, it is too late...treatment cannot offer a chance of success," he told the court.</s>The parents of terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard have ended their legal challenge to take him to the US for experimental treatment.

Speaking outside the High Court in London, Chris Gard broke down as he paid tribute to his "warrior" son.</s>LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the legal battle over critically ill baby Charlie Gard (all times local):

The parents of critically ill baby Charlie Gard are dropping their legal bid to send him to the United States for experimental treatment.

Lawyer Grant Armstrong says Chris Gard and Connie Yates are withdrawing their appeal to court orders saying Charlie’s treatment should end.

The couple cried at London’s High Court on Monday as their lawyer said time had run out for 11-month-old Charlie.

The couple has been fighting court rulings saying their son’s life support should be withdrawn.

The parents of a critically ill infant are returning to court for the latest stage in their effort to seek permission to take the child to the United States for medical treatment.

Britain’s High Court is considering new evidence in the case of Charlie Gard. The 11-month-old has a rare genetic condition, and his parents want to take him to America to receive an experimental treatment.

Doctors say that the treatment won’t help and could cause the child pain.

The judge has scheduled a two-day hearing to consider fresh evidence, after the doctor who was to conduct the treatment came to London to evaluate the child.

Last week Great Ormond Street Hospital told the parents that a report on the latest scan of Charlie’s brain made for “sad reading.”</s>LONDON (AP) – The Latest on the legal battle over critically ill baby Charlie Gard (all times local):

The mother of ill baby Charlie Gard has told Britain’s High Court that they “only wanted to give him a chance of life.”

Hugging her husband Chris Gard and weeping, Connie Yates told the court on Monday that they had decided it was no longer in the best interests of their 11-month-old baby to pursue an experimental treatment in the U.S.

The parents withdrew their legal challenge on Monday.

The couple said they had wanted to give Charlie a real chance of getting better and that a “whole lot of time has been wasted.” Yates says she hoped that Charlie’s life would not be in vain.

The couple had been fighting for months for permission to take Charlie to the United States for medical treatment. But Great Ormond Street Hospital in had argued it would not help and may cause him pain.

A lawyer for the parents of critically ill Charlie Gard says the window during which the baby could have been helped by experimental treatment has closed.

Grant Armstrong says it is “worthy of a Greek tragedy” that Charlie’s parents must withdraw their appeal, just as they were about to present new evidence to a court.

He says delays in treating Charlie mean his condition is now so poor that treatment will not help. He says tests show that the baby has irreversible muscular damage.

Armstrong says the 11-month-old’s devastated parents now “wish to spend the maximum amount of time they have left with Charlie.” He says discussions will be held in private about when Charlie’s life-support will be switched off.

He says the parents “wish to treasure their remaining time with Charlie, however short that may be.”

The parents of critically ill baby Charlie Gard are dropping their legal bid to send him to the United States for experimental treatment.

Lawyer Grant Armstrong says Chris Gard and Connie Yates are withdrawing their appeal to court orders saying Charlie’s treatment should end.

The couple cried at London’s High Court on Monday as their lawyer said time had run out for 11-month-old Charlie.

The couple has been fighting court rulings saying their son’s life support should be withdrawn.

The parents of a critically ill infant are returning to court for the latest stage in their effort to seek permission to take the child to the United States for medical treatment.

Britain’s High Court is considering new evidence in the case of Charlie Gard. The 11-month-old has a rare genetic condition, and his parents want to take him to America to receive an experimental treatment.

Doctors say that the treatment won’t help and could cause the child pain.

The judge has scheduled a two-day hearing to consider fresh evidence, after the doctor who was to conduct the treatment came to London to evaluate the child.

Last week Great Ormond Street Hospital told the parents that a report on the latest scan of Charlie’s brain made for “sad reading.”</s>Charlie Gard's parents: 'We will let our son go and be with the angels'

The parents of Charlie Gard have decided not to go forward with their efforts to take him to the United States for treatment after an assessment from a U.S. doctor.</s>Charlie Gard's parents have ended their legal fight over treatment for the terminally-ill baby.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates announced their decision as a High Court judge was preparing to oversee the latest round of a five-month legal battle.

Mr Justice Francis had been scheduled to analyse what the couple said was fresh evidence at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Ms Yates burst into tears when Katie Gollop QC broke the news at a preliminary hearing in the Family Division of the High Court. Mr Justice Francis asked Ms Gollop not to reveal full details of the report - the judge indicated that Charlie’s parents should be given time to consider it privately.

Charlie's mum Connie said: "This is the hardest thing we've ever had to do. Following most recent MRI scan we've decided to let our son go.

"His illness has deteriorated to the point of no return. But no organ has failed. There is no proof he is in pain or suffering.

"The prospect of improvement is now too low. Deterioration in his muscles means there is no way back.

"Treatment should have been tried. Charlie had a real chance of getting better.

"It's what's best for Charlie now. We've always listened to the experts. We'll always know in our hearts we did the best for Charlie.

"There are no winners here. We owe it to him to not let his life be in vain. We'd like to thank our lawyers and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

"We love Charlie very much. Our son is a warrior. His spirit will live on for eternity."</s>LONDON– The parents of the terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have given up their legal fight over treatment for their son in the US.

Their lawyer Grant Armstrong told the UK High Court Monday that experts have said that the “window of opportunity no longer exists.”

“For Charlie, it is too late…treatment cannot offer a chance of success,” he told the court.

Charlie’s parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates made their decision following the latest medical reports and scans, the Press Association reported.

“Dark days lie ahead for these parents…” they want to spend time with Charlie,” Armstrong said.

Charlie, whose first birthday is August 4, was born with a genetic mutation called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. It leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction, among other symptoms. The prognosis is poor for most patients. Charlie is unable to breathe or move on his own.

Great Ormond Street Hospital — where Charlie has been since October 2016 — received permission from the European Court of Human Rights in June to discontinue life support.

But his parents wanted to bring him to the US for an experimental therapy called nucleoside bypass therapy. It has never been used to treat Charlie’s form of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

The doctors at GOSH have argued that every medical option has already been considered and treatment in another country would not be in Charlie’s best interest.

“These parents should know that no parent could have done more than they did for their child,” said Justice Nicholas Francis, who is presiding over the case.

He was critical of those who weighed in on the case without knowing the facts. Both the Pope and US President Donald Trump have shown their support for Charlie’s parents.

“When cases such as this go viral, the watching world feels entitled to weigh in regardless of whether or not they are informed on the facts of the case,” he said.</s>The parents of terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have ended their legal fight to transport him to the U.S. for experimental treatment, concluding a months-long saga that has raised nearly $1.75 million and elicited support from Pope Francis and President Trump.

The couple's lawyer, Grant Armstrong, told the London High Court that new medical tests have shown that the experimental treatment would not help at this point, according to The Associated Press. "It's too late for Charlie," Armstrong said. "The damage has been done."

Gard suffers from a rare inherited mitochondrial disease called MDDS, for which there is no known cure, according to the Great Ormond Street Hospital which is treating him. The hospital adds that the infant has "severe progressive muscle weakness and cannot move his arms or legs or breathe unaided."

According to the BBC, Armstrong told the judge "that US neurologist Dr Michio Hirano had said he was no longer willing to offer the baby experimental therapy after he saw the results of a new MRI scan last week."

NPR's Joanna Kakissis reported that the case is focused on this question: "Should parents be the ones who have the final say in treating critically ill children? Or should doctors?"

"Charlie's doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London say they worry the experimental treatment, which has not even undergone clinical trials, could make the baby suffer," Joanna reports. "They say his life support should be shut off so he can die peacefully."

Gard's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, raised money by crowdfunding for the experimental treatment in the U.S. and engaged in a legal battle in multiple courts. As NPR's Amy Held reported:



Speaking outside the court Monday, Yates said "Charlie did have a real chance of getting better. ...Now we will never know what would have happened if he got treatment," according to Reuters.

Earlier this month, President Trump said in a tweet that "If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so."

The case has resonated internationally, and the chairman of the hospital said in a statement that members of its community have been "subjected to a shocking and disgraceful tide of hostility and disturbance." Mary MacLeod added that "thousands of abusive messages have been sent to doctors and nurses whose life's work is to care for sick children," including death threats.

The AP writes that the judge condemned the abuse, "but stressed that these had nothing to do with the boy's parents." The wire service adds that at the hearing, Judge Nicholas Francis said, "No parent could have done more for their child."</s>LONDON (AP) - The parents of a critically ill infant are returning to court for the latest stage in their effort to seek permission to take the child to the United States for medical treatment.

Britain's High Court is considering new evidence in the case of Charlie Gard. The 11-month-old has a rare genetic condition, and his parents want to take him to America to receive an experimental treatment.

Doctors say that the treatment won't help and could cause the child pain.

Charlie Gard's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard arrive at the Royal Courts of Justice in London where the hearing will resume into the case of their terminally-ill baby, Friday July 21, 2017. A British court is giving the parents of 11-month-old Charlie Gard a chance to present fresh evidence that their terminally ill son should receive experimental treatment. (Lauren Hurley/PA via AP)

The judge has scheduled a two-day hearing to consider fresh evidence, after the doctor who was to conduct the treatment came to London to evaluate the child.

Last week Great Ormond Street Hospital told the parents that a report on the latest scan of Charlie's brain made for "sad reading."
The parents of the terminally ill Charlie Gard give up their legal challenge over treatment in the United States. The latest medical reports indicate that the window of opportunity no longer exists.