Parents Lose Fight to Keep Baby From Getting Vaccinated Blood

UPDATE Dec 7, 2022 8:08 AM CST

A 4-month-old boy in need of heart surgery was on Wednesday ordered into the temporary medical custody of health officials by a New Zealand court, in a contentious case that has attracted international press. His parents have refused to proceed with the surgery unless their son only be given blood from unvaccinated donors; CNN cites court documents that state they believe "spike proteins in the blood of people who have been vaccinated ... were causing unexpected deaths relating to transfusions." The BBC reports Justice Ian Gault deemed their request unfeasible and said the child's "survival [was] actually dependent on the application being granted." The court will have guardianship until the surgery and post-op recovery are complete, though Gault noted the parents are still primary guardians and must be kept fully updated throughout the process.

Nov 30, 2022 12:54 PM CST

The fate of a 4-month-old baby is in the hands of a New Zealand court after the country's health service asked to be given partial guardianship of the child so that it can proceed with a needed heart surgery. As the Guardian reports, the boy's parents are fine with the surgery taking place, but they don't want vaccinated blood to be used. "That's the end of the deal," says the father. "We are fine with anything else these doctors want to do." RNZ reports the health service is seeking to have doctors appointed as agents of the court for medical care, with the parents being named agents of the court for all other care.

New Zealand Blood Service says blood isn't classified based on a donor's COVID-19 vaccination status, meaning it can't ensure a determination. Further, it says that the COVID-19 vaccine that enters the bloodstream upon injection is broken down quickly, and the blood is filtered prior to transfusion, so all that remains would be harmless trace amounts. The baby reportedly requires open-heart surgery due to his severe pulmonary valve stenosis; that's a narrowing of one of the heart's valves.

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An immunization expert with Auckland University says "almost all blood in New Zealand will have COVID antibodies in them, so unless you're going to refuse all blood, I can't imagine how you’ll get round this," per the New Zealand Herald. It notes the family has claimed it has 20 nonvaccinated people ready to donate their blood, but that NZ Blood hasn't approved that plan. Both sides had a Wednesday court appearance to set a date for a hearing on the issue; it will take place next Tuesday. RNZ reports some 100 anti-vaccination supporters assembled outside the High Court in Auckland in support of the parents. (More New Zealand stories.)