Surrogate-born baby with heart defect delivered in Dallas amid legal dispute

A baby boy born on Wednesday in Dallas through surrogate McKenna West is receiving medical care for hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, a congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. The child’s biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, are at the hospital with him, while the surrogate’s attempts to intervene in medical decisions have been rejected by the courts.

Lee Budner, representing Gilkar and Ahmed, said the parents’ priority is ensuring the infant receives the necessary treatment and that they can spend time with him. A Dallas judge ordered that the child receive life-saving surgery after birth and remain in Texas, while also prohibiting West from making medical decisions or claiming maternal status.

Attorney Lincoln Wilson, representing West, said she traveled to Texas after a dispute with the biological parents over whether to terminate the pregnancy following the heart-defect diagnosis. West’s legal team argues that Texas family law designates the birth mother as the legal parent, a position the judge did not adopt.

The biological parents previously filed a California court ruling that affirmed their parental rights, which an appellate court upheld. They plan to have the child receive ongoing cardiac care from a specialized team in Los Angeles after stabilizing him in Texas. A further hearing on the case is scheduled for Aug. 25.