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Surrogate abortion refusal lawsuit

One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.

7 DAYS
56 FACTS
5 EVENTS
5 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY AUG 20
AUG 26 · Day 7

California couple confronts surrogate in Texas court over newborn dispute

West is a nurse who flew from Alaska to have the baby in Texas.

West told the court that if the court finds the couple are committed to the baby receiving surgeries, she would drop any custody claims.

Gilkar said she entered the surrogacy contract after going through eight rounds of in vitro fertilization and undergoing a hysterectomy.

“I knew that this baby, despite the diagnosis, had a great chance at survival and a great chance at leading a long life,”
MCKENNA WEST verbatim
AUG 26 · Day 7

Surrogate and California couple clash in court over newborn

Gilkar said the newborn has struggled to breathe, choked on tubes and needed a blood transfusion since surgery.

West said she had only about a minute with the newborn before he was taken away.

A court order has barred West from seeing or holding the baby.

AUG 25 · Day 6

California couple and surrogate testify in Texas court over newborn dispute

Gilkar said she did not regret requesting an abortion.

Gilkar and Ahmed named the newborn Rumi; West has called the child Gabriel.

Surrogacy is not regulated on a federal level, and experts say each state has its own laws.

AUG 21 · Day 2

Surrogate custody fight erupts after abortion refusal, baby removed at birth

Attorney Lee Budner stated that Ahmed and Gilkar consented to the surgery as soon as doctors determined the baby was eligible.

McKenna West agreed to serve as a surrogate for intended parents Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar.

West stated that Ahmed and Gilkar asked her to terminate the pregnancy after the fetus was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) around 20 weeks.

“remains critical and complex.”
LEE BUDNER verbatim
AUG 20 · Day 1

Parents seek six figures from surrogate who refused abortion after baby's heart diagnosis

“remains critical and complex.”
LEE BUDNER verbatim
Quote copied with attribution