Lithuania's child protection service denies ordering removal of baby who had already died

Lithuania's State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service has refuted allegations that it ordered the removal of a two-month-old baby who had already died from a serious illness. The agency stated that the decision applied to all children in the family due to suspected neglect, and that the parents only received the formal decision after the baby's death because the service was informed of her death several days later.

The accusations emerged after the story of a family from Ukmergė, northeastern Lithuania, spread on social media. Users accused child protection authorities of reacting too late and deciding to remove a baby girl who had already died.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Lina Baranauskienė, head of the Vilnius County Child Rights Protection Division, expressed condolences to the family and explained the reasoning behind the decision to remove all children from the household. She said child protection officers were alerted by medical staff after an exhausted two-month-old baby was admitted to the hospital.

"Removing a child from their parents is an extreme measure taken only in exceptional circumstances, when parents do not cooperate, refuse assistance, no improvement occurs, and the child continues to face a real threat. In this family's case, it was decided that the children's safety had to be ensured.

"We made the decision on July 27, but only on July 28 did we learn that the baby had died on Sunday, July 26," she said.

Baranauskienė added that the service would seek ways to improve communication between hospitals and child protection authorities to prevent similar situations. She stressed that while parents' faith, beliefs, and values are their choice, a child's right to appropriate medical treatment and life must be protected.

According to Baranauskienė, it was not possible to establish a dialogue with the parents, although they were still invited to cooperate. The decision to remove all children was based not only on the condition of the hospitalized baby but on overall circumstances. The family had been known to child protection since 2018, with several prior reports, including from medical professionals, about inadequate healthcare for the children.

The baby's father, Mintautas, told LRT that his daughter was born with Patau syndrome, a congenital genetic disorder that prevented her from feeding normally. He said the parents fed her using a pipette and sought treatment at Kaunas Clinics after noticing she was not gaining weight. According to him, the girl spent her first month at home, where it was important they provide a loving environment. The second month was different as they could no longer hold her for long periods or breastfeed her in the hospital.