A New Zealand court on Wednesday temporarily removed custody of a baby whose parents objected to life-saving surgery, fearing he would receive blood from donors vaccinated against Covid-19. The Auckland High Court has ordered six-month-old ‘Baby W.’ to be placed under partial guardianship while he undergoes emergency surgery for a heart condition called valvular stenosis.
Justice had to rule on the best interests of the child
His parents had opposed this intervention, demanding that the blood that could be transfused in the operating room come from donors who had not received any messenger RNA vaccine against Covid-19. “The overriding question is whether the proposed treatment is in the best interest of the baby,” the court said in a statement. The baby is now under “medical supervision of the Court” until “the end of her operation” and her recovery at the latest by the end of January.
Parents retain authority over the child, except for medical care. They will be “informed at all reasonable times of the nature of the treatment provided to ‘Baby W’ and the evolution of her condition,” according to the sentence.
This case shocked the country and highlighted the significant misinformation surrounding vaccination. Health agency spokesman Mike Shepherd said this is “a difficult situation for everyone involved.” “The decision to make a request like this to the court is always made with the best interests of the child in mind,” he stressed. The baby is being treated at a children’s hospital in Auckland.
When the court decision was announced, anti-vaccine activist Liz Gunn called on the few people who came out to support the family to pressure Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to reverse her decision.
Parents try to defend themselves
The health authorities had rejected the parents’ request for “unvaccinated blood”, arguing that it was impractical and unnecessary. Hospitals do not separate the blood donated by vaccinated people from that of unvaccinated people, neither category presents more risks than the other. The family says they have dozens of unvaccinated donors waiting.
“This is a really rare case where the parents want a better deal for their child than what the state is offering,” Sue Grey, the parents’ attorney, said in November. “We’re there because we have a government and a blood bank … (that) don’t want these services to be available,” she said.
Source: BFM TV
