Surrogate McKenna West petitions Supreme Court over Texas custody dispute

McKenna West, a surrogate mother from Alaska, has filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent a newborn baby from being moved out of Texas. The legal battle involves West and a California couple, Nasheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, who are the biological parents.

The dispute began after the biological parents requested that West terminate the pregnancy following a diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a serious heart condition. West refused the request and moved to Texas. While California courts have recognized Gilkar and Ahmed as the legal parents, West is seeking full custody or conservatorship to ensure the infant receives what she describes as necessary life-saving care.

West’s legal team, including attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, argues that without an immediate administrative stay, the baby could be moved to California for hospice care, leaving West unable to participate in medical decisions. The surrogate expressed concerns that the child might be moved from a Dallas hospital sooner than previously anticipated.