A surrogate mother who travelled to Texas, where abortion is illegal, gave birth on Wednesday to a baby boy. McKenna West, from Alaska, claimed she was pressured to end the pregnancy after the discovery of a severe heart defect.
The child's biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California, confirmed the birth through their lawyer. They denied forcing West to undergo an abortion, as reported by the Texas Tribune. An attorney for Gilkar and Ahmed stated that their client's child was born earlier this morning and is now receiving medical care from pediatric experts.
Court documents from Alaska, obtained by the Texas Tribune, indicate that the couple and West initially agreed to an abortion. The dispute gained national attention when Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, intervened on West's behalf. He publicised an emergency court order from Dallas county, which barred the then-fetus from being taken out of state and requested that area hospitals provide "life-saving" care.
The fetus was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition that affects the body's ability to pump oxygen-rich blood. According to the CDC, children with this congenital heart defect require multiple surgeries soon after birth, though these procedures are not a cure and lifelong complications may persist.