Human Dignity, Disability & Bioethics

The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a custody dispute involving a California couple and their surrogate, McKenna West, who refused to terminate a pregnancy despite a severe fetal heart defect diagnosis. The California court recognized Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar as the legal parents of the baby, who was born in Texas and underwent surgery, with the Supreme Court's decision leaving the parentage ruling intact amid ongoing medical care concerns.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied surrogate McKenna West's emergency appeal to overturn a California court ruling that she has no legal or physical claim to the medically fragile baby boy she carried, who was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Despite West's efforts to secure custody and ensure the baby received life-saving care in Texas, the baby's genetic parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, retain legal rights and are currently suing West for damages, while courts have ordered that the baby must receive stabilizing and life-sustaining care.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case of an infant boy born in Texas after his surrogate mother, McKenna West, refused to terminate the pregnancy despite the biological parents' request due to the child's life-threatening condition.

Justice Elena Kagan denied an emergency appeal from McKenna West, a surrogate who fled to Texas to give birth to a baby with a life-threatening heart defect after the biological parents requested an abortion. The California court recognized the biological parents, Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, as the legal parents responsible for the child's medical care, a decision upheld by multiple courts including Texas and the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a surrogacy case involving a baby born in Dallas, Texas, where the surrogate, McKenna West, sought access and decision-making authority over the child.

A Texas District Court vacated an emergency order that had kept Baby Gabriel/Rumi, born via surrogate McKenna West, in Texas to receive care for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, allowing his genetic parents to move him to California if approved by doctors. The court found that the genetic parents have consented to all recommended medical treatments and that some restrictions of the emergency order were no longer medically necessary, while maintaining that stabilizing and life-sustaining care must continue and that the Guardian Ad Litem remains appointed for the child.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan declined to intervene in a custody dispute involving a baby born via surrogate after the surrogate refused to terminate the pregnancy despite a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The lower court's order granting custody to the biological parents, who are caring for the baby in Texas following open-heart surgery, was upheld without explanation from Kagan.

The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a custody dispute involving California parents and a surrogate who refused their request for an abortion after the unborn child was diagnosed with a serious heart defect. The surrogate, McKenna West, sought conservatorship of the child after delivering him in Texas, while the biological parents sued for breach of the surrogacy agreement and were previously ruled legal parents by a California trial court.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled that Baby Gabriel, born via surrogacy with a severe heart defect, can be taken from Texas to California by his biological parents for further treatment. Surrogate McKenna West sought sole conservatorship to control medical decisions and prevent the transfer, but the court prioritized the child's medical care and allowed the parents to proceed with the ICU-to-ICU transfer for additional surgeries.

McKenna West, a surrogate who refused to abort a baby diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, has filed an updated brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking an administrative stay to prevent the baby from being moved out of Texas.

McKenna West, a surrogate who refused to have an abortion at the request of the biological parents, filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court to block a California court order that recognizes Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar as the infant's legal parents and allows them to move the newborn out of Texas. West, dismissed from the Texas court case and seeking custody or conservatorship, argues the judgment violated federal due process and fears the couple will not provide life-saving care for the baby, who was born with a serious heart defect and remains hospitalized in Dallas.

A surrogate mother who fled to Texas to avoid an abortion requested by the biological parents is appealing to the Supreme Court to block a California court order recognizing the biological parents as the legal parents of the child. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the custody battle, and a Texas judge ordered life-saving care for the child and prohibited his removal from Texas.

Texas has become a leading state for surrogacy due to its clear legal framework and experienced medical community, with over 650 surrogate births in 2025. However, a recent high-profile legal dispute in Dallas involving a surrogate refusing to terminate a pregnancy despite contract terms could introduce uncertainty and impact the popularity of surrogacy arrangements in Texas.

A highly publicized surrogacy case involving a newborn with a severe heart condition is being heard in a Dallas County courtroom, where the surrogate and intended parents testified over parental rights and medical decision-making. The case is directly connected to Texas as the baby was born in a Dallas hospital, and the legal proceedings and court orders are taking place in Texas courts.

Baby Gabriel was born prematurely in a hospital near Dallas, Texas, after his surrogate mother fled there to avoid a forced abortion mandated by her surrogacy contract. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a court order ensuring Gabriel received life-saving care at birth, highlighting Texas's role in protecting the child's life amid this surrogacy and abortion controversy.

Anti-abortion activists and lawmakers in Texas are pushing to limit or ban surrogacy, using a high-profile case in Dallas involving a surrogate who refused an abortion to spotlight the issue. Texas officials, including Attorney General Ken Paxton and state legislators, are considering new legislation and regulations on surrogacy, reflecting growing conservative efforts within the state to restrict this reproductive practice.

A surrogate's custody battle over a baby born in Dallas is raising concerns among Texas surrogacy experts and conservative groups about the potential erosion of parental rights and the future of surrogacy agreements in Texas. The case has drawn attention from Texas-based legal advocates and lawmakers, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton briefly intervening, and it could influence pending legislative efforts to restrict commercial surrogacy and IVF practices in the state.

A baby born in the Dallas area as part of a multi-state surrogacy case underwent open heart surgery for a severe congenital heart condition, with the family currently residing in Texas. The legal dispute involves litigation in Alaska, California, and Texas, highlighting Texas as a key location in the ongoing case.

A multistate surrogacy dispute involving an Alaska surrogate who gave birth in Dallas after refusing to abort a baby with a severe heart defect highlights complex ethical and legal questions around surrogacy and abortion rights. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office intervened to ensure life-sustaining care for the newborn, illustrating Texas's direct involvement in the case and raising questions about state authority over medical decisions in surrogacy situations.

McKenna West, a surrogate mother from Alaska, flew to Texas to give birth to a child diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome after the intended parents allegedly ordered an abortion. Pro-life leaders praised her decision and the Texas birth, highlighting the state's role in this case as a place where the child was born despite medical challenges and parental opposition.

A surrogate mother fled to Texas to protect the baby she was carrying from abortion after the California-based intended parents pressured her to abort due to a treatable heart defect. Texas Governor Ken Paxton intervened by seeking a court order to ensure the baby, born in Texas, could receive necessary treatment despite the intended parents' refusal, highlighting Texas's pro-life laws and involvement in this case.

A Texas district court ordered UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to provide lifesaving care to Gabriel, a baby born via surrogacy. This ruling directly involves Texas hospitals and impacts medical care decisions within the state.

A surrogacy controversy involving a baby born with a severe heart defect has unfolded in Dallas County, Texas, where court documents reveal details about the surrogacy contract and medical plans for the child. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the case to ensure life-saving medical care for the baby, highlighting the state's legal involvement in this multistate dispute.

A surrogate mother fled to Texas to give birth to a baby diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome after the biological parents requested an abortion. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened to ensure the baby received medically necessary, life-saving care at Texas hospitals, highlighting the state's legal role in protecting the infant.

An awful story has broken into the headlines illustrating the moral peril of commercial surrogacy. From the Texas Tribune story: [McKenna] West, a nurse, entered a surrogacy agreement in Alaska, where she lives, with the intended parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, through Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists, LLC, a Connecticut-based surrogacy agency. Typically under gestational agreements like the one that West signed with Gilkar and Ahmed, the intended parents, not the surrogate, have the parental rights to make choices relating to the fetus. The fetus West is carrying was diagnosed with hy