Surrogate mother gives birth after refusing biological parents’ request for abortion
A surrogate who refused to terminate the baby she was carrying despite the biological parents request to do so has given birth to a baby boy in Texas, her lawyers have said.
Surrogate McKenna West gave birth to the boy, who has been called Gabriel, on Wednesday (12 August) morning in Dallas, her lawyer Lincoln Wilson, told The Dallas Morning News.
Her due date had previously been reported as two weeks away on 2 September.
Wilson went on to say that the baby boy will now undergo life-saving care for his congenital heart condition.
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The unusual case has hit headlines around the world and has seen West and the biological parents embroiled in a legal dispute.
West, a nurse, said she signed up to a surrogacy programme in February 2025 and was quickly matched with a couple she felt were a ‘perfect’ fit.
But at her 20-week scan the baby was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, and biological parents Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed asked West to terminate the pregnancy, according to court filings.
Gabriel was diagnosed with a severe but treatable condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
According to the CDC: “HLHS occurs when the left side of the heart does not form correctly during pregnancy.
“HLHS affects normal blood flow through the heart. A baby born with HLHS will need surgery soon after birth. HLHS is considered a critical congenital heart defect (critical CHD).”
West’s lawyer Wilson told The Dallas Morning News that the surrogacy contract she signed ‘allowed the intended parents to choose to terminate the pregnancy in the case of fetal anomalies’.
West, however, refused to have the termination, and travelled from her home in Alaska to Texas to find a hospital that had specialist expertise in the HLHS.
“I just didn't know what to do. I felt very trapped due to this contract and felt like I had no voice. But I knew in my soul, in my heart that I wanted to protect this little boy,” West told The Megyn Kelly Show.
“It's not this hopeless diagnosis whatsoever. And that's part of why I want to fight so hard for this little guy… he absolutely can go on to live a full life and he deserves that opportunity.”
The Texas Attorney General stepped in
Just hours before she gave birth on Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an emergency court order that would ensure Gabriel got ‘life-saving care’.
“The order prevents anyone from withholding or obstructing necessary treatment or removing, discharging, or transferring the child while the court considers the case,” Paxton’s statement reads.
“The hospital and treating physicians must immediately notify the court and all involved parties of the child's birth, initial medical assessment, any refusal of consent to medically indicated treatment, and any request to discharge, transfer, or transport the child.”
Paxton added: "The court has made the right decision in immediately acting to protect baby Gabriel's life and ensure he receives the care he deserves.
"My office utilized every tool at our disposal to protect life, and we will not back down in continuing to support baby Gabriel's well-being.
“Every child in our state deserves to be cared for and protected, and that's exactly what I'll fight for."
LADbible Group has contacted Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed’s legal representative for comment.
Claire Reid