The New Zealand authorities asked the courts on Tuesday, December 6 to entrust them with the custody of a baby whose parents, fearing that he would receive blood from donors vaccinated against Covid-19, oppose an operation. surgery to save his life.
Health authorities said they filed this request on Tuesday urgently before the High Court of Auckland, New Zealand's main city.
The four-month-old infant, whose identity is kept secret by order of the Court, suffers according to his mother from pulmonary valve stenosis, a heart problem requiring surgery.
But this intervention was delayed because the parents demand that the blood which could be transfused to the child in the operating theater comes from donors who have not received any messenger RNA vaccine against Covid-19.
A request rejected
Their request was rejected, as hospitals in New Zealand do not separate blood donated by vaccinated people from that of non-vaccinated people, neither category presenting more risks than the other.
The authorities asked the court to give them partial custody of the baby.
If the court grants their request, the parents will retain their authority over the child except for medical care.
The health services said they went to court "
taking into account the best interests of the child
" and after "
long conversations
" with the family.
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Around 150 anti-vaccination protesters gathered outside Auckland Court on Tuesday, to show support for parents.
The aggressive measures taken by New Zealand at the start of the coronavirus pandemic were widely considered to be among the most successful in the world, with the country having experienced only a low death rate even before the introduction of vaccines.
But the severe travel restrictions and lockdowns have been criticized as attacks on freedoms, and have prompted the emergence of small but very active anti-vaccine and anti-restrictions groups.