Surrogate mum who gave birth after refusing abortion makes desperate plea
A surrogate mother who gave birth after refusing a request for an abortion claims she is yet to be paid by the biological parents of the child she carried.
McKenna West, an Alaskan nurse and single mother-of-two, wouldn’t get an abortion despite Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed’s request to terminate the pregnancy after it emerged that the baby was diagnosed with a severe but treatable heart condition at around 20 weeks.
The 28-year-old gave birth in Dallas on Wednesday and is set to take on a legal battle for custody of the child, which was placed in Gilkar and Ahmed’s care within 24 hours.
A GiveSendGo fundraiser set up by a friend reads that ‘McKenna has already sacrificed so much’, with the $66,000 raised, which helps West ‘cover travel and living expenses, and continue fighting to protect this baby’s life’.
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“She has lost the payments she was relying on and is now facing the possibility of being sued for all money paid to her – or on her behalf – since the beginning of her surrogacy journey,” it adds.
“She has also relocated away from home and is taking time off work while continuing to cover expenses back home.”
Her lawyer, Lincoln Wilson, alleged on Friday that the parents ‘haven’t given [West] anything’ since their request to terminate the pregnancy.
This is despite a reported clause in their contract that allowed the couple to seek an abortion if an ‘anomaly’ was found.
“They said when they demanded an abortion, ‘Hey, can we just pay you half for the next month since you’re gonna be aborting this child?’” Wilson alleged to The New York Post.
Gilkar and Ahmed, meanwhile, claimed in court papers that West initially agreed to terminate the pregnancy before changing her mind.
The baby suffers from the severe but treatable heart condition hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
“HLHS occurs when the left side of the heart does not form correctly during pregnancy,” says the CDC. “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).”
"I was 20 weeks. [A.B. and C.D.] were on a FaceTime call after the ultrasound," West told Live Action News.
"The doctor came in and told us there was something really wrong with the baby's heart. There was no blood flow through the left side of the heart. She said she wasn't qualified to give a diagnosis, and I needed to be referred to an MFM [maternal-fetal medicine doctor] for another ultrasound.
"So we were all really upset. It was completely unexpected. Everything had been going great. There had been no signs of anything being wrong. All genetic testing was normal."
LADbible Group contacted Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed’s legal representative for comment.
A timeline of McKenna West’s surrogacy legal battle
February 2025
McKenna West, a nurse from Alaska, applies to be a surrogate for Worldwide Surrogacy in order to make extra income for her family.
August 2025
West signs a surrogacy agreement with Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, from California. She says the contract she signed required her to undergo an abortion in the event of an ‘anomaly’.
Early 2026
After falling pregnant via IVF, West, Ahmed and Gilkar learn during West’s 20 week scan that the baby has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) - a serious but survivable condition.
Legal filings from Ahmed and Gilkar’s lawyers read (via AP): “After heartbreaking consultations with medical providers and their own research about the suffering and quality of life HLHS babies endure, A.B. and C.D. (birth parents) made the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy.
“It is undisputed that West initially agreed and that she herself made the initial appointment.”
But West tells Live Action News: “I knew that I didn't want to have to go through [an abortion]. I didn't want for this baby - for his life to be cut short.”
When she refuses to have an abortion, West says Ahmed and Gilkar threatened to sue her for $250,000 for breaching the surrogacy agreement.
20 July 2026
Ahmed and Gilkaer argue in legal filings that West ‘cut off all contact’ with them and ‘withdrew medical releases’ allowing them to have contact with her medical providers.
West flees to Texas, where abortion is illegal. Meanwhile, a court order in California affirms that Ahmed and Gilkar are the legal parents of the child. This also means they will have to pay for the child’s medical bills.
28 July 2026
An Alaskan Superior Court rejects a request to force West to relocate to California to give birth, but says that California has jurisdiction. A California court will decide where West gives birth and the medical team to treat her.
11 August 2026
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervenes with a court order that means UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas must provide life-saving care to the baby, who he and West refer to as Gabriel.
The order prevents West from being forced to go to California while the case is considered.
However, the court also prevents West from making any medical decisions on behalf of the child, exercising any possession of the child, or representing herself as the child’s parent or guardian.
Ahmed and Gilkaer deny they ever intended to refuse treatment for the baby
12 August 2026
The baby is born in the morning in Texas two weeks early and immediately receives care for HLHS.
While West continues to refer to the baby as Gabriel, Ahmed and Gilkaer refer to the baby boy as Rumi in legal filings.
13 August 2026
Attorneys for both parties speak out. West’s attorney Lincoln Davis Wilson said West was not allowed to have any contact with the baby after the birth, but intends to pursue custody.
He told CBS: “We are working on challenging those orders of parentage because we think that Texas law makes a woman who gives birth [to] a child, the mother of the child.”
Meanwhile, Ahmed and Gilkaer’s attorney Lee Budner tells the outlet: "Our clients' son was born yesterday morning and he is now in their physical custody while he receives expert medical care at a tertiary care center.
"Thankfully, McKenna West's baseless attempt to interfere with his medical care has been soundly rejected by the courts."
25 August 2026
West is ordered to appear at a Texas court.
Anish Vij