Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Amanda Harding.
The biological parents of a baby born via surrogate in Texas are speaking out following the birth of the son they wanted to abort.
Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed said through their attorneys that the case has become
"political theater" due to the actions of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The surrogate mother, McKenna West, claims that the couple tried to convince her to have an abortion when it was discovered that the child had a heart defect.
The unborn baby was found to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare birth defect where the left side of the heart does not develop properly. According to New York-Presbyterian, surgical intervention is required with a 72% survival rate to age 5. Of those that survive that benchmark, 90% of people with HLHS reach the age of 18.
Gilkar and Ahmed's lawyer confirmed the baby was born in Texas.
"Our clients' child was born earlier this morning and he is now receiving medical care provided by a team of pediatric experts," attorney Lee Budner said in a statement to The Texas Tribune.
"McKenna West's baseless attempts to intervene in the child's medical care have been soundly rejected by the courts."
"Our clients' only focus at this time is ensuring that their baby receives the medical care that he vitally needs and that they, as his parents, are able to spend every precious moment they can with him," Budner added.
On Tuesday, a Dallas judge ordered that the child be given life-saving treatment when he was born. The judge also granted the couple's request for a temporary restraining order against West and blocked her from making any medical decisions for the child she was carrying.
West's attorney said she had a positive relationship with Gilkar and Ahmed until they tried to pressure her to abort the child following the diagnosis.
"She described it as fear because basically she was going to be asked to do something to the child that she carried that was fundamentally offensive to her, and she couldn't imagine ending the life of the child that she carried inside her," Lincoln Wilson told the Texas Tribune.
Gilkar and Ahmed's lawyers are now pushing back on the allegations that they forced her to have an abortion. In court documents filed July 20 in Alaska, the couple said West agreed to have an abortion at first and even scheduled the appointment, but then later changed her mind.
"After heartbreaking consultations with medical providers and their own research about the suffering and quality of life HLHS babies endure, A.B. and C.D. (birth parents) made the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy," the filing says.
"It is undisputed that West initially agreed and that she herself made the initial appointment. She then unilaterally changed her mind, cut off all contact with A.B. and C.D., and withdrew medical releases allowing A.B. and C.D. to have contact with all medical providers."
Gilkar and Ahmed allegedly requested that the baby, whom they are calling Rumi, be born in California. They claim West went against their demand and moved to Texas instead, a state where family law holds the birth mother to be recognized as the legal mother of the child.
West has been referring to the baby as Gabriel, a name which the biological parents refuse to recognize.
"West is harming Rumi by relocating to Texas, requiring him to be born in Texas, away from his parents and the specialized cardiac team in Los Angeles that will provide his lifelong care," the filing says.
"Her actions are forcing Rumi to begin treatment (including critical heart surgery) in one state and be transferred to another."
A California court ruled that Gilkar and Ahmed are the legal parents of the baby. But Wilson said that his client
"is lawfully the parent because she gave birth to this child that she carries in Texas, then she should control custody as well."
A hearing is scheduled for August 25.
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