Anti-vaxx New Zealand parents lose custody of their critically-ill baby after refusing to accept blood transfusions from Covid-vaccinated donors ahead of child’s heart surgery.
Auckland High Court ordered four-month-old baby, identified as ‘Baby W’ in court documents to be placed under partial guardianship – allowing urgent operation to correct a heart disorder to go ahead.
The baby’s parents had blocked procedure because potential blood donors may have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccine.
The couple used discredited arguments and fringe anti-vax theories to try to show that the jabs were unsafe.
But High Court Judge Ian Gault said he accepted the affidavits of health experts who said there have been millions of blood transfusions performed around the world since coronavirus vaccines were introduced, and the vaccines hadn’t caused any known harmful effects.
‘The overriding issue is whether the proposed treatment is in (the baby’s) best interests,’ the court said in a statement.
‘The child is now under the medical ‘guardianship of the Court’ until ‘completion of his surgery’ and recovery, by the end of January at the latest.
‘The parents will remain custodians ‘for all other purposes’, and will be ‘informed at all reasonable times of the nature and progress of Baby W’s condition and treatment’, the ruling stated.
Court rules prevent the baby and parents from being named. Court documents identified the mother as a midwife.
The case has gripped New Zealand and underscored the potency of vaccine misinformation.
The parents’ legal battle has been embraced by anti-vaccine groups, who gathered outside the courtroom this week as evidence was presented.
