A six-month-old baby whose parents refused to allow him to undergo lifesaving heart surgery using blood from people vaccinated against Covid-19 has been operated on in a New Zealand hospital.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled that the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, would remain under the court’s guardianship until he had recovered from the surgery.
The court also appointed two doctors as its agents to oversee issues around the operation and the administration of blood, according to court documents.
New Zealand court takes guardianship of baby after parents refuse vaccinated blood for heart surgery
The baby has a congenital heart defect and needed urgent open heart surgery to survive – but the operation was delayed by his parents’ insistence that only blood from donors not vaccinated against Covid-19 be used.
Speaking to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on Friday, the parents’ lawyer, Sue Grey, confirmed they had texted her to say the surgery was complete and that their son was doing well.
Police were called in by the hospital on Thursday after the baby’s parents prevented doctors from taking blood from him for testing, or performing a chest X-ray or an anesthetic assessment, RNZ reported.
A new ruling on Thursday night ordered that the parents stop blocking doctors’ attempts to prepare for the operation.
BBC
