The authorities of New Zeland this Wednesday took temporary custody of a child whose parents objected to having a life-and-death operation because he could receive blood from donors vaccinated against coronavirus.
The Auckland High Court ordered the six-month-old to be placed in partial guardianship, allowing him to be operated on urgently to correct a heart condition known as pulmonary valve stenosis.
The medical procedure had been delayed because the parents had refused to undergo a blood transfusion from a donor who had received a messenger RNA vaccine, the technology applied in Pfizer or Moderna anti-covid immunizers.
“The overriding question is whether the proposed treatment is in the best interests” of the child, the court said in a statement.
In this way, the minor he is now in “court (medical) custody” until “end of operation” and his recoverywhich is estimated for the end of January at the latest.
Parents will continue to be guardians “for all other purposes” and will be “informed fairly reasonably of the progress of Baby W’s condition and treatment,” the ruling adds.
The country’s health authorities had rejected parents’ requests to use unvaccinated blood, arguing it was not practical or necessary. Also, New Zealand does not distinguish the vaccination status of donors as there is no additional risk from using the blood.
NZ Blood specifies on its website that during the collection it does not ask people to indicate whether they are vaccinated against covid-19 and that there is no evidence that the blood of vaccinated people poses an additional risk.
Furthermore, patients cannot choose their donors in New Zealand, where more than 90% of the population over the age of 12 has received the full course of the vaccine.
The urgency of the operation
Public Health attorney Paul White said the child’s cardiologists warned the patient was suffering harm as a result of the delay in surgery due to blood pooling in the damaged valve.
“He’s under incredible stress,” she said, insisting that the child, who was in the courtroom in his mother’s arms, remain hospitalized.
The lawyer stressed that the priority is to consider what is best for the child and recalled that his parents had previously consented to the child receiving a blood transfusion.
With information from AFP.
IT
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.