A surrogate who decided not to terminate her pregnancy against the wishes of the biological parents is now worried that the child might be taken out of Texas. McKenna West, 28, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, expressing concerns that the Los Angeles couple, Nasheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, could attempt to remove the baby—who was born with a severe heart defect—from a Dallas hospital as early as Thursday.
On Monday, West’s attorneys submitted an updated document to the Supreme Court, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
“That timeline seems a bit too lenient, and we require an administrative hold by 1:00 PM EST tomorrow,” stated West’s legal team in the recent filing. West is seeking to block a California court ruling that designates Gilkar and Ahmed as the child’s parents—an earlier ruling upheld by a Texas judge, who determined that West could not make decisions regarding the baby’s care.
The appointed guardian ad litem, representing the child’s interests, has also filed an urgent request to modify the court’s previous order concerning necessary medical treatment, according to the filing made on Monday.
As a single mother from Alaska, West is calling for immediate intervention “to safeguard the child’s life.” She is pursuing full custody because she is concerned that Gilkar and Ahmed will not provide the critical care the baby, whom she refers to as Gabriel, needs. The biological parents call him Rumi.
West’s team remarked that “the future care for Baby G. is uncertain” following the affirmation of the California ruling. Interestingly, she has even indicated that she would reconsider her custody claim if she could be guaranteed that the baby would receive the necessary medical attention, according to her attorneys.
However, her legal representative alleges that the couple has persistently “refused” to promise that commitment. The child was born on August 12 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome—a serious condition that disrupts normal blood circulation. Infants diagnosed with this condition typically need surgery almost immediately after birth to survive beyond the first week. It came as a shock to West when the diagnosis was made around the 20-week mark of her pregnancy.
“Everything had been fine,” West previously shared. “There were no indications that anything was wrong, all genetic tests had returned normal.”
Gilkar and Ahmed had agreed to compensate West $60,000 for carrying the child, but the surrogacy contract included a provision that permitted terminations if any “anomaly” was detected during the pregnancy. Unable to proceed with the abortion, West moved to Texas, where the procedure is illegal.
Her primary concern is for the baby to receive the required treatment for his heart condition, yet the couple is suing her for a minimum of $100,000. Gilkar has gone as far as to accuse West of attempting to take their baby away, alleging in court that, “She’s making us jump from one doctor to another, crossing state lines. With our baby—she’s trying to take him.” She added, “He’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. He’s the love of our lives.”
