A B.C. Jehovah's Witness couple plans to tangle with the provincial government in court after three of their four surviving sextuplets were given blood transfusions.
"The family is upset that this transfusion was done against their wishes. But they love these children," Shane Brady, the lawyer for the family, said Wednesday.
In an affidavit, the parents said they "could not bear to be at the hospital when they were violating our little girl. We took our immense sadness and grief and tried to console each other in private."
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions.
"We want the best medical care for our children and want them to live. We have consented to all required treatment. We will not, however, consent to blood transfusions," they said in the court documents.
Brady appeared in B.C. Supreme Court to challenge the seizure order, which came without a court hearing, when the government withdrew the order it had obtained on Friday. However, the parents plan to press on.
A court date has been set for Feb. 22 and 23 to hear them.
Supreme Court of Canada decisions from 1995 and 1999 give parents the right to present evidence at any seizure hearings, said Brady. He has previously represented Jehovah's Witness families in such cases.
"So what took place here was a complete abdication," said Brady. "They ignored completely what the Supreme Court of Canada said."
B.C. Minister of Children and Families Tom Christensen would not discuss this specific case.
However, "we don't take any such action without a great deal of forethought, recognizing that it's a significant step for the state to interfere in a family,'' he said.
Doctors have an obligation if they believe a child is in danger, he said.
Brady said the transfusions made little difference to the condition of the infants. He described them as being in stable condition.
One infant received a transfusion Wednesday. Two others were transfused earlier.
The government made the seizure last week to permit the transfusions -- something prohibited by the Jehovah's Witness faith.
The sextuplets were born in the first week of January at the B.C. Women's Hospital. They were almost three months premature and were about the size of an outstretched hand.
While doctors said they had a good chance of survival, they would face significant challenges. For example, infants that premature have underdeveloped lungs, problems with eating and weak immune systems.
Two of the sextuplets have died so far.
The parents have chosen to remain anonymous. They have not spoken to the media since the childrens' birth.
With a report from CTV's Todd Battis and files from The Canadian Press
