‘BEST INTEREST’

Parents Who Refused Vaxxed Blood Transfusion for Baby Lose Custody

The 4-month-old boy’s life-saving procedure had been blocked because his parents worried donors may have been vaccinated against COVID.

A sick baby boy has been placed into the temporary custody of health officials in New Zealand after his parents refused to allow him to have a life-saving procedure over fears that he might receive blood transfusions from donors vaccinated against COVID. The country’s High Court on Wednesday ruled that the infant—referred to in proceedings as Baby W—be placed under the guardianship of the court after his parents had sought a ruling that their child only receive blood from unvaccinated donors. The court instead ruled that the operation to correct the infant’s heart disorder was in his “best interest,” granting the temporary guardianship “until completion of his surgery and post-operative recovery.” Justice Ian Gault dismissed the request for unvaccinated blood as unnecessary and impractical but emphasized that the parents remain the child’s primary guardians, meaning doctors must keep them informed about the boy’s health and treatment.