Berlin -
A German court on Friday denied a request from the parents of a disabled Turkish boy that he be given a heart transplant.
The parents, Yavuz and Sennur Donmez, had appealed a decision by doctors at Giessen University Hospital in central Germany not to put the boy, 2, in a queue for new hearts.
They had raised 400 000 euros (500 000 dollars) to fly their son, Muhammet Eren, to Germany for the operation.
But just prior to departure his heart stopped and he suffered serious brain damage before doctors could get his blood pumping again.
After he arrived, weeks later, German doctors ruled that the boy no longer qualified for a heart transplant because of his brain condition. The boy is on life support at the hospital.
The state court in the city of Giessen said the doctors' decision had been legally correct, complying with German laws and guidelines that prioritise who receives scarce organs.
The case has triggered controversy in both Turkey and Germany, with critics contending unjust discrimination against the boy because he is disabled. - Sapa-dpa