Baby with rare heart defect at center of surrogacy case in critical condition

Key Points:

• A baby born with a rare, life-threatening heart defect is at the center of a contentious custody battle between his biological parents and the surrogate who carried him, with the infant currently in critical condition.
• The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, assert their parental rights and accuse the surrogate, McKenna West, of attempting to take the child from them, while West seeks sole conservatorship to make medical decisions.
• The dispute has drawn attention from right-to-life groups and Texas GOP officials, as it involves complex issues around surrogacy contracts, abortion rights, and state laws that consider the birth mother as the legal mother.
• The baby, named Rumi by his biological parents and Gabriel by West, suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, requiring multiple surgeries to survive, and a Texas court has ordered he remain in the state for treatment.
• The court has yet to issue a final ruling on custody or conservatorship, maintaining a temporary restraining order that bars West from contact with the baby pending further proceedings.