Surrogate mum who gave birth after refusing abortion wrote emotional letters to clients
A surrogate mother who is currently locked in a legal battle after refusing to abort the baby she was carrying for a couple has had her emotional pleas to the surrogacy clinic and clients revealed to the public.
McKenna West says she is going to fight against California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, who are alleged to have asked her to terminate the pregnancy after discovering the baby had a severe but treatable heart defect.
A scan at the time revealed that the little boy has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), which, according to the British Hearth Foundation, happens when the left side of the heart does not develop as it should.
After being told to abort, West travelled to Texas - where abortion is illegal - and gave birth to the baby, who she named Gabriel, before he was taken into surgery for his HLHS.
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But after his birth, both Gilkar and Ahmed were granted a temporary restraining order against West, which strips her of any legal authority over Gabriel, and then allowed the pair to take him home.
Right now, West can't be near the tot at the centre of the dispute, as the order holds up until 25 August.
The nurse, from Alaska, has since revealed that she wrote emotional letters begging the biological parents to stop the planned abortion days before it was scheduled, despite it being part of the agreement.
According to letters filed in court documents, and reported by TMZ, McKenna told Worldwide Surrogacy on May 4, 2026, she would not be able to go through with it.
According to the letter, she said: "After careful thought, I have decided that I cannot terminate this pregnancy. This baby is in my body, and I care for him very much."
The day after she sent the first letter, the bio parents reportedly questioned the surrogacy centre, asking: "We would like an update immediately. We have every right to know in REAL TIME what McKenna is planning on doing tomorrow."
On 7 May, West's letter explained a 'deep pain and sorrow' over being asked to end the baby's life, and that feeling him move led her to believe there was 'life within' her.
She added: "From the work I do as a mother, to the work I do as a registered nurse, I feel called to defend, care for, and protect the vulnerable.”
She continued to explain that the abortion 'truly goes against everything I do in my life, from my motherhood to my career; protecting life, not ending it.'
Reports claim that West is not formally recognised as a parent and does not have any say in his care, because of the order filed by the biological parents since she gave birth.
However, West's lawyer Lincoln Wilson claims 'she is the mother' because of where the baby was born, stating that Texas recognises her rights.
Speaking to the New York Post, Wilson said: "She is seeking parentage of the child because she gave birth in Texas, and in Texas, if you give birth to a child, it’s your child.
"We think that once that California judgment is removed…that basically she is the mother under Texas law.
"We are taking that challenge up through the California courts, and we’ll take it up to the US Supreme Court if we have to."
She now intends to fight for custody of the baby, but will still have to appear in court on 25 August.
Britt Jones