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Baby blood case: Video shows emotionally charged scene in hospital room

December 9, 2022

A video posted online by supporters of the parents whose baby needed urgent heart surgery shows highly charged scenes as the four-month-old was removed from the hospital room.

In the video, four police officers can be seen attempting to placate the parents as their baby was taken for a pre-operative assessment last night.

1News has chosen to blur everyone present in the hospital room.

The mother can be seen crying and pleading "please don't do this", while the father repeatedly shouts at the officers and medical staff, calling them "criminals".

"I just want to tell you what's happening," a doctor says, but the father shouts "No! We're not listening to what you've got to say."

"He's going to be OK," the doctors says, but the father continues shouting "No! He's not going to be OK."

The video continues for seven minutes.

The court was given guardianship of the baby on Wednesday so their surgery could proceed. The parents refused to consent to the surgery if health authorities could not give them assurances that the blood products needed had not come from people who have had the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine.

A minute from Justice Ian Gault late last night revealed the baby's parents no longer agreed to the surgery, threatening health staff with legal action in efforts to prevent the operation going ahead.

"Staff at Te Toka Tumai have endeavoured to take steps to prepare [the baby] for surgery (scheduled for tomorrow morning), including taking blood tests, performing a chest x-ray and performing an anaesthetic assessment.

"[The lawyer for Te Whatu Ora] understands that the parents prevented this occurring, and advised health staff that 'you touch our child and we will press criminal charges against you'," the minute read.

Near the end of the video, a supporter of the couple tells the father that she has offered to fundraise for one of the police officers to "chuck your badge in" and "come on our side". The officer refuses her offer.

A police spokesperson has confirmed the officers were at the hospital "to assist hospital staff with a court order".

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