The surrogate mother who refused to abort her baby after the biological parents allegedly called for an abortion gave birth two weeks early.
The child, called Gabriel by his surrogate mother, McKenna West, was born in Dallas on Aug. 12. He was born amid an ongoing legal dispute after his biological parents, identified in court documents as Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, allegedly demanded West undergo an abortion.
At about 20 weeks, Gabriel was diagnosed in utero with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) — a serious congenital heart condition. Treatment for HLHS typically involves three surgeries, beginning with one procedure shortly after birth.
“Itʼs horrific to think that so-called intended parents, when they found out that their baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, told the surrogate mother that they wanted her to abort that child,” Amy O’Donnell, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”
“Thatʼs horrific at any stage to want to abort a child simply because of a disability or a diagnosis, but late term after 20 weeks is even more so,” she said.
West traveled to Texas from Alaska to ensure that Gabriel could be near doctors experienced in treating his condition. She allegedly offered to take full responsibility of the baby, but the baby’s biological parents reportedly refused.
Gabriel was born “just 24 hours after Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated legal action,” O’Donnell said.
Paxton filed an intervention in the case on Aug. 11 asking the Texas district court to enter orders directing the child’s care upon birth, prohibiting his removal from the state, and setting an expedited hearing on any refusal of treatment.
“According to the district court, because McKenna [West] so bravely fled to Texas from Alaska to ensure that baby Gabriel had lifesaving care, baby Gabriel, now born in Texas, is a Texas resident,” O’Donnell said.
The order stated that UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas were legally obligated to care for Gabriel.
Gabriel has “received the lifesaving treatment available” at Dallas Children’s, O’Donnell said. He is “in great hands and he has either had a heart surgery or itʼs pending.”
“Due to HIPAA, we probably wonʼt get information on the unfolding care, but we are certain that nobody can deny treatment, can demand transfer, and nobody can request that he receive anything less than the best that Texas has to offer.”
“Our laws protect every child born in Texas and guarantee their right to life. The Department of Family and Protective Services [DFPS] holds authority under Texas law to protect children from medical neglect,” Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Texas Gov. Gregory Abbott, said in a statement.
“DFPS will be closely monitoring this case and will take any action necessary to safeguard those rights,” he said.
Pope Leo says surrogacy reduces a child to a ‘product’
While acknowledging infertility is an immense cross to bear, the Catholic Church has a clear stance against surrogacy. The practice requires conceiving a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination and then transferring the embryo to the uterus of the surrogate.
Pope Leo XIV has affirmed that, by transforming gestation into a negotiable service, one “violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a ‘product,’ and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family.”
“Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states.
“These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the childʼs right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ ‘right to become a father and a mother only through each other’” (CCC, 2376).
“There are a lot of concerns with surrogacy, and the more we look into it, the more concerns we have,” O’Donnell said.
“We believe that no contract should be able to require death of a child due to a disability or an imperfection. And so we believe that there should be … nationwide protections there,” she said.
“We need to protect the dignity of mothers who are involved in surrogacy as well, as long as it is legal in our nation and in our state,” she said.
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