Treatment for court wrangle baby

NEWCASTLE, England -- The parents of a baby girl born with half her facial features missing have settled a legal fight and allowed medics to perform emergency treatment.

Two-month-old Maria Aziz Al-Rafi, who has a disorder called Goldenhar's Syndrome which affects one in 500,000 births, needed a tracheotomy to open up her airways.

Her parents, Suzanne Taylor and Aziz Rafi, on Wednesday agreed to allow treatment having originally refused permission because they said they feared for the baby's safety.

Maria has been in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, northeast England, since early last week. She arrived from Saudi Arabia where she was born.

As the baby's condition deteriorated over the weekend, health officials were granted a protection order to stop the parents taking her out of hospital.

The dispute went to a court in Leeds on Wednesday where it was resolved after seven hours.

A court statement said: "Happily, complete agreement has been reached between all parties during the course of the day, pursuant to which Maria will remain for the time being at the Newcastle RVI and will have the immediate medical treatment which she requires.

"In the fullness of time she will need facial reconstructive surgery, following which it is hoped she may have a normal life expectancy and normal intelligence. But those are matters for the longer term future and have not in any way been before the court today."

The parents refused to comment as they left the court.

Maria was the only one of triplets to survive the pregnancy and was born in December. Her mother said she was shocked when she first saw her daughter but believed she was a "gift from God."

Her parents have since started a fundraising campaign to raise £500,000 ($715,000) to pay for surgery to rebuild her face before she reaches school age.