Father blasts 'draconian' care order which removed son from breastfeeding mother

A man whose newborn son remains in interim care after being forcibly removed from his breastfeeding mother in a maternity hospital has argued that the “draconian” way in which the care orders were made breached his rights.

This case represented perhaps the first opportunity for the High Court to review how emergency care orders (ECO) are made by the District Court under the 1991 ChildCare Act, Teresa Blake SC (for the father) told Mr Justice Seamus Noonan, adding the issue is whether, in a democratic society, it was necessary to act in this way to protect this child and the answer "must be no”.