Surrogate McKenna West, who refuses to abort baby despite biological parents’ wishes, scores early legal victory

Key Points:

• McKenna West, an Alaskan surrogate, has won a legal ruling in Texas allowing her to give birth to a baby diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), despite the biological parents' wishes for an abortion.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition ensuring the newborn, named Gabriel, will receive life-saving medical care and cannot be removed from the hospital or state after birth.
• The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed from California, want West to have an abortion and are suing her, but West refuses to terminate the pregnancy and has traveled to Texas where she is recognized as the birth mother.
• HLHS is a severe heart condition requiring immediate surgery after birth; treated infants have a 75% chance of surviving to age five, with survival rates improving significantly after the first year.
• A court hearing involving the biological parents is scheduled for August 25 in Dallas County, with no public comment yet from their legal team regarding West’s legal victory.