McKenna West, a surrogate who had been hired by California couple Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court to halt a prior ruling that granted the parents parental rights to their unborn child. The parents had asked West to terminate the pregnancy after a 20‑week scan revealed a severe heart defect in the fetus.
Instead of complying, West travelled to Texas – a state where most abortions are illegal – and delivered the baby last month. The infant, named Rumi, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition that requires multiple surgeries and often leads to lifelong complications. West has since pursued custody, arguing that the biological parents would not provide the necessary medical care after their decision to abort.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened, securing an emergency court order that required the child receive medical treatment in the state. The boy underwent surgery shortly after birth. West claims she denied the abortion request after learning about treatment options and wanting to keep “this precious baby,” according to the Supreme Court filing.
In a previous hearing, Gilkar declared, “Our child is the love of our lives,” and said West had travelled to Texas without informing them, blocking their access to medical information. A California court had already granted parental rights to Ahmed and Gilkar, while a Texas court issued a restraining order preventing West from seeing the baby.
West’s lawyers warned that without Supreme Court intervention, she would lose access to information about the child’s medical condition and that the parents could place the boy in hospice care. The case now sits on the Supreme Court’s docket, with the outcome likely to set a precedent for surrogacy and parental rights disputes involving medical conditions.
