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Custody fight erupts after surrogate refuses abortion for baby with heart condition
PBS • • nation
Key Points:
- A Texas court is hearing a custody dispute between a California couple and their surrogate over a newborn diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a serious and uncertain heart condition.
- The surrogate, McKenna West, initially agreed to an abortion after the diagnosis but later changed her mind, influenced by anti-abortion activists who brought her to Texas where abortion is banned.
- The couple, who underwent multiple IVF attempts and a hysterectomy before using a surrogate, previously won custody in California, but West is now seeking to reverse that decision in Texas.
- Anti-abortion groups have taken a keen interest in the case, viewing it as an opportunity to challenge surrogacy and potentially push for broader restrictions on fertility treatments like IVF.
- The case’s outcome could set a precedent affecting not only surrogacy but also access to and legality of other assisted reproductive technologies across states.
