California Parents Sue Surrogate After HLHS Diagnosis and Texas Birth
A Dallas judge ordered life-sustaining treatment for the newborn and kept him in Texas while the parents and surrogate fight over custody and parentage.
- California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed are suing their surrogate, McKenna West, after she refused to terminate the pregnancy following a 20-week diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome , a serious congenital heart condition.
- West, who is from Alaska, traveled to Texas during the dispute and gave birth to the baby on August 12, prompting a complex legal battle over custody, parental rights and medical decisions.
- The parents allege that West breached their surrogacy agreement, while West maintains that she opposed ending the pregnancy and is seeking legal recognition as the child's parent.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened before the birth, and a Dallas judge ordered that the newborn receive life-sustaining medical treatment and remain in Texas for care.
- The baby, referred to as Gabriel by West and Rumi by the intended parents, is now in the California couple's custody and receiving specialized treatment, while the broader legal dispute is expected to continue in court.
79 Articles
79 Articles
Texas Birth Twist Upends Custody Playbook
A surrogacy contract can specify almost anything intended parents want — compensation, medical protocols, even a clause obligating termination if a fetus is diagnosed with a serious condition — but no American court will force a woman to undergo an abortion against her will, and no contract can erase that constitutional line. That collision, long theorized by family-law scholars, has now played out in a real courtroom fight involving an Alaska s…
Murray Questions Choice After Surrogate Mother Chooses NOT To Get an Abortion
Liberals are always telling us they believe in choice and that women should be allowed to do what they want with bodies, but after surrogate mother McKenna West traveled to Texas and chose not to get an abortion, MS NOW’s Melissa Murray wasn’t so sure. It’s not that the Saturday Connect guest host suddenly became pro-life, but rather she claimed surrogacy disputes are complicated, as West is currently being sued for $100,000 by a California coup…
The surrogate mother had refused to abort a fetus because of a heart disease: now the biological parents sue the woman for more than 100,000 euros in damages.
In the US, a conflict between a surrogate mother and intended parents is causing a stir.
Texas Saved Baby Gabriel. What Would Talarico Do?
By LAUREN WASHBURN via The Daily Signal | August 19, 2026 When a California couple wanted their surrogate, McKenna West, to abort the baby she was carrying, she fled to Texas. There, pro-life laws and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton helped save the baby, ensuring he got the care he needed. But as Democrat state Rep. James Talarico challenges Paxton for Senate, it raises the question—what would Talarico do?West, an Alaska nurse and single mothe…
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