Texas Court Grants Newborn Life Support, Gives 2 Intended Parents Medical Authority
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 13
Texas Court Grants Newborn Life Support, Gives 2 Intended Parents Medical Authority
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 13
Summary
A Dallas court issued an emergency order granting the newborn access to life-sustaining treatment for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and authorizing California intended parents Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar to make medical decisions.
The order followed a surrogacy dispute that erupted after a 20-week diagnosis, when surrogate McKenna West said the intended parents sought termination under their contract and she refused to have an abortion.
West traveled from Alaska to Texas with help from antiabortion activists, while Attorney General Ken Paxton backed her court push for treatment; the temporary order also bars West from presenting herself as the baby's parent.
The fight now spans courts and politics across three states, testing how surrogacy contracts, parentage rulings and abortion politics intersect as conservatives press for broader legal changes.