Texas Intervenes in Surrogacy Clash
Newborn with critical heart defect gets life-sustaining care after surrogate flees California parents who allegedly sought abortion.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has intervened in a Dallas County surrogacy dispute, prompting a court to order life-sustaining medical care for a newborn diagnosed with a severe congenital heart defect and preventing the child from being moved out of the state.
The baby was born on Wednesday in Dallas to McKenna West, an Alaska nurse who served as a surrogate for a California couple, Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar. At 20 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus was diagnosed in utero with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped and unable to properly pump blood.
Clash over medical treatment
Following the diagnosis, West refused requests from the biological parents to terminate the pregnancy and traveled to Texas to give birth and seek specialized care. Paxton's office and West's legal team alleged that Ahmed and Gilkar pressured the surrogate to abort and intended to refuse life-saving surgery for the child.
The California couple denied those claims in court filings. Their legal counsel stated that Ahmed and Gilkar are focused on ensuring the baby receives required medical care, while accusing West and Paxton of turning a family tragedy into political theater.
Court orders and emergency care
Following Paxton's legal intervention, a Dallas court issued orders requiring local hospitals to provide life-sustaining treatment to the newborn and prohibiting the infant from being removed from Texas pending a hearing.
Doctors in Dallas have recommended the Norwood procedure, the first of three standard surgeries used to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Custody and parental disputes
Alongside the medical directives, a temporary restraining order was issued against West. The order prohibits her from making medical decisions for the infant, taking physical possession of him, or interfering with the biological parents' access.
The dispute extends even to the infant's name: West and Paxton's office have referred to the newborn as Gabriel, while the biological parents have named the child Rumi in court filings.
