Headline Roundup • August 13th, 2026
Surrogate Mother Refuses to Terminate Pregnancy at the Request of Legal Parents, Prompts Legal Battle Over Custody and Medical Care
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Legal questions arise following a surrogate mother who refused to terminate the pregnancy at the request of the legal intended parents after the fetus was found to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Right and left media split in how they covered the story, with right outlets emphasizing anti-abortion stances and left outlets highlighting the legal intended parents' grief and rights.
The Details: Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar contracted McKenna West as their surrogate while West was living in Alaska. When the fetus was discovered to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the legal intended parents opted to terminate the pregnancy rather than have the child undergo multiple surgeries at birth to attempt to correct the life-threatening condition. The surrogate refused to have an abortion, instead traveling to Texas to birth the child. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has intervened to ensure the newborn receives the necessary medical care within the state. West is also seeking custody of the child.
For Context: The surrogacy contract between West, Ahmed, and Gilkar allowed the intended legal parents to end the pregnancy via abortion, according to New York Times (Lean Left bias). Paxton secured a temporary restraining order that requires the child to stay in Texas to receive medical care until a hearing in late August. The order also requires the legal parents to provide "medically indicated, lifesaving treatment" to the baby. The county also issued a restraining order against the surrogate mother, West, banning her from presenting herself as the child's parent in any circumstance. Texas law states a woman who gives birth to a baby is that child's legal parent, meaning that at the hearing in late August, a judge will decide whether the legal contract Ahmed and Gilkar signed with West gives them legal parental rights and the right to make medical decisions for the baby.
How the Media Covered It: The Post Millennial (Right) described the baby's condition as a "treatable heart defect," while New York Times described it as "rare and life-threatening." Post Millennial also referred to the baby as "Gabriel," which was a name chosen by West, despite the legal intended parents choosing a different name for the child. New York Times quoted Ahmed and Gilkar's attorney, saying, "As if the heartbreak of his condition were not enough, they are devastated to see their family tragedy transformed into political theater by the Texas Attorney General's office and McKenna West." It also quoted the president of anti-abortion group Live Action, who said, "They [the parents] were treating her baby like a product. The product had a defect, and so they were trying to send it back."
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Featured Coverage of this Story
A baby with a treatable heart defect was born on Wednesday in Texas after his surrogate refused a request from his intended parents to get an abortion.
McKenna West, an Alaska nurse who was serving as a surrogate for a California couple, gave birth to the boy, whom she has called Gabriel. The dispute began after doctors discovered at around 20 weeks into the pregnancy that the baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.
McKenna West
A bitter confrontation over surrogacy, abortion and parental rights that stretched across three states culminated on Wednesday with the birth of the baby at the center of the conflict at a Dallas hospital.
The fate of the baby, who has a severe birth defect, became a cause this summer among anti-abortion activists, who provided legal representation for the surrogate, McKenna West, and helped her travel to Texas for medical care. This week, she also received support from the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, who took legal action to compel medical...
