Surrogate Defies Termination Demand as Texas Court Orders Life-Saving Care for HLHS Baby

An Alaska-based surrogate carrying Gabriel, who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), refuses to abort despite the biological parents’ wishes. West will be recognized as the birth mother in Texas, where Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition to ensure life-saving care for the newborn and to keep Gabriel in Texas. A court granted the petition, ordering that upon live birth the child receive medically indicated stabilizing and life-sustaining care and prohibiting removal from the hospital or the state pending further orders. HLHS typically requires immediate surgery after birth, and Gabriel is due Sept. 2. The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, want termination in California, with a Dallas County court hearing set for Aug. 25 as the case unfolds.