Baby at center of surrogacy rights case is born in Dallas

Key Points:

• A baby boy with a congenital heart condition was born via surrogate McKenna West in Dallas, amid a legal dispute between the Texas attorney general and the California biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed.
• The surrogate, who traveled from Alaska to Texas, claims the biological parents tried to force her to terminate the pregnancy, a claim denied by Gilkar and Ahmed's legal team, who say West initially agreed to termination but later changed her mind.
• A Dallas judge ordered life-saving treatment for the baby and ruled that the child must remain in Texas, while also affirming the biological parents' rights to make medical decisions and barring West from representing herself as the mother.
• The Texas attorney general intervened on behalf of West, alleging the biological parents refused consent for surgery and planned to move the baby to California before birth, accusations not addressed by the parents' attorney.
• The dispute highlights conflicting state laws: California courts recognize Gilkar and Ahmed as the legal parents, while Texas law grants parental rights to the birth mother, leading West to seek legal protection in Texas.