Surrogate mother who refused to abort baby after treatable heart condition diagnosis gives birth

McKenna West, the Alaska surrogate who refused a California couple’s demand that she abort their unborn son, gave birth to the baby, called Gabriel, in Texas on Wednesday, amid a multi-state legal battle over abortion and surrogacy rights.

A day before the baby’s birth, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the case, securing an emergency court order to ensure Gabriel would receive life-saving medical care without delay upon his birth. Gabriel was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious heart condition that typically requires three surgeries, approximately 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Paxton’s office noted.

The biological parents, based in California, reportedly demanded that West undergo an abortion, but West refused and fled to Texas for legal protection. “The intended parents have refused to agree that they will consent to the life-saving surgery upon birth and may attempt to transport the child out of Texas to prevent treatment from being administered,” Paxton said earlier this week.

“Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,” he said. In a major legal win for West, a court ordered that the baby must receive life-sustaining medical care without delay at birth.

“McKenna gave birth after courageously refusing the contracting parents’ demand that she abort him because of his serious but treatable heart condition,” Live Action founder Lila Rose wrote on X, noting that “Gabriel is doing well” and will receive life-saving medical care due to the court order.

However, a court-issued restraining order is preventing West from making any medical decisions for the baby or exercising “any possession” of Gabriel, instead granting authority to the biological parents.

“Heartbreakingly, a temporary restraining order issued yesterday prevented McKenna from seeing or holding the baby she carried and fought to protect,” Rose wrote on X.

Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing West, called her actions a “courageous stand for Baby Gabriel’s life.”

“Every life matters,” senior counsel Erik Baptist said in a statement. “No woman should be forced to kill the baby she is carrying, and every child deserves a chance at life.”