Surrogate mother fights to save baby she is carrying after biological parents push for abortion
A US nurse has found herself embroiled in a legal battle with the parents of the baby she was paid to carry inside her.
McKenna West signed up for Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists' programme in February 2025 and was soon connected with a couple who she described as a 'perfect match'.
Everything appeared to be going smoothly after she became pregnant through IVF, with the single mother determined to raise extra income for her own family, while helping another couple start a family of their own.
"It felt like a perfect match," West told anti-abortion organisation Live Action. "The conversation was good. It felt exciting for both of us. We both agreed that we wanted to move forward and told the agency, and then took the next steps to move forward from there."
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However, when she attended the baby boy's 20-week scan, he was diagnosed with a heart defect, which led the couple to demand that she get an abortion.
She was told by the couple that she needed to travel from Alaska to Seattle in order to undergo the abortion, since no doctor in her home state would carry out the procedure at that 22-week stage.
Instead, West searched out a potential treatment for the boy, who she has named Gabriel, who faced the prospect of having a severely underdeveloped heart due to a rare condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
She said: "I was 20 weeks. [A.B. and C.D.] were on a FaceTime call after the ultrasound. 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."
West found a hospital in Texas that boasts a high success rate for treating children born with the same condition, with the surgery completed after the birth, but the parents still wanted to go ahead with the abortion.
With the baby now due on 2 September, an abortion would be impossible at this 36-week stage, and the two parties have entered into a legal battle after they claimed that Ms West had violated the terms of her contract.
“I knew that I didn’t want to go through with it,” West said. “I didn’t want this baby’s life to be cut short.”
West was due to receive a fee between $55,000 and $70,000 for her services, according to the Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists website, but the payments have allegedly stopped, with Live Action claiming that they have even demanded back the money she has already been paid, as well as damages for breaking the surrogacy agreement.
Documents seen by Live Action state: “[McKenna] wrestled with inner turmoil at the thought that doctors would ‘have [baby Gabriel’s] heart injected with a solution that will stop his heart.'"
Speaking to the organisation, West said: “I want to fight for him because he deserves that chance.
“There’s no guarantee. There’s not a guarantee with anything. But he deserves a chance at living life outside of my womb. My goal is to get him surgery.”
The couple have also filed legal proceedings in California to state that she gives birth there.
Meanwhile, West has now filed for custody of Gabriel with the hope of getting the life-changing surgery, and suggested that she would only travel to California for the birth if the parents agree to the surgery.
For help, support and advice about abortion, contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on 03457 30 40 30, 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays, and 9.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays.
Topics: US News
James Moorhouse