A court in New Zealand on Wednesday temporarily withdrew custody of a child from his parents over their opposition to him undergoing life-saving surgery, arguing that they feared he would obtain blood from donors vaccinated against the Corona virus.
The Auckland High Court ordered the 6-month-old baby, identified as 'Baby W', to be placed under partial custody during the emergency surgery he had to undergo due to a heart problem.
His parents have opposed this process, demanding that the blood that will be given to the child in the operating room come from donors who have not received any doses of COVID-19 vaccines with Messenger RNA technology.
"The main question remains whether the proposed treatment is in the best interest" of the child, the court said in a statement.
The child is now under a "medical guardianship from the court" until his "operation is over" and he recovers, no later than the end of next January.
According to the court ruling, the parents will retain authority over the child in all aspects except those related to medical care.
They will be "informed at any reasonable time of the nature of the treatment provided" for their child and "the evolution of his health condition".
The case shocked the country and shed light on the extent of misinformation about vaccines.
"The situation is difficult for all the people involved," said Mike Shepherd, a spokesman for the local health authority.
He pointed out that "the decision to submit a similar request before the court is always taken with the best interest of the child in mind."
The child is under medical care at a children's hospital in Auckland.
When the court decision was announced, anti-vaccination campaigner Liz Gunn called on a few people who had gathered to support the family to press Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to reverse her decision.
The family confirms that it has received promises of donations from dozens of unvaccinated donors.
"We are facing a really unusual case of two parents who want to treat their child better than what the state offers them," said the parents' lawyer Sue Gray, adding, "We are here because we have a government and a blood bank (...) that do not want to provide these services."