Surrogate denies political motives as Texas custody battle continues
Surrogate McKenna West, a cardiac nurse who delivered a baby with hypoplastic left-heart syndrome in Dallas, Texas, denied that the multi-state custody dispute was political theater, saying she is focused on the child’s care. On August 12, a Texas district court ordered the newborn to receive life-saving treatment, overturning the intended parents’ request for an abortion and appointing a guardian ad litem to oversee medical decisions. The judge later placed the infant in the biological parents’ custody, ending the surrogate’s post-birth contact.
The parents subsequently filed a countersuit seeking more than $100,000 in damages, alleging West breached their surrogacy agreement by refusing to terminate the pregnancy. The infant underwent the required surgery while courts in Alaska, California and Texas continued to deliberate parental-rights issues.
