A surrogate mother has rejected the demands of biological parents to abort their child, by giving birth to “baby Gabriel,” who is now being medically treated for a heart condition.
McKenna West, the surrogate mother, fled Alaska and flew to Texas, where abortion is illegal. There, she gave birth to Gabriel in a Dallas hospital on Aug. 12.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he had “secured an emergency court order ensuring that baby Gabriel receives life-saving care in Texas.”
The court order protecting Gabriel states that “life-saving medical care will be provided upon baby Gabriel’s birth and will not be delayed.” The order also “prevents anyone from withholding or obstructing necessary treatment or removing, discharging or transferring the child while the court considers the case.”
In September 2025, West signed on to be a surrogate with Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists and was matched with a couple. She became pregnant with their child through IVF, and her due date was projected for Sept. 2, 2026.
After a 20-week anatomy scan was done on the baby in utero, the partnership between West and the couple fell apart. The baby was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a heart condition that requires multiple surgeries shortly after birth.
The parents, residing in California, demanded that under a clause in the surrogacy contract, West abort the child at 22 weeks gestation. Knowing she’d have to fly to another state to get an abortion—there were reportedly no doctors in Alaska willing to do such a late-term abortion—West called for a referral to get an abortion in Seattle in May at 24 weeks.
But West knew she could not go through with an abortion and wanted “to fight for him because he deserves that chance.”
“I knew that I didn’t want to have to go through [an abortion],” West said. “I didn’t want for this baby—for his life to be cut short.”
West named the child Gabriel herself. After researching HLHS, she discovered that a hospital in Dallas had a 100% success rate with the first three surgeries Gabriel would need for his heart condition. West never flew to Seattle for the abortion but instead flew to Dallas.
Consequently, the surrogate parents demanded that West return the money already paid to her and also pay for additional damages. They filed a lawsuit against West to force her to deliver the baby in California with a group of doctors of their choosing. West agreed to do so if the parents promised to commit to providing Gabriel with the life-saving surgeries.
Without the agreement to seek medical care for Gabriel, West has since filed for custody of Gabriel.
“I want to fight for him because he deserves that chance. There’s no guarantee; there’s not a guarantee with anything. But he deserves a chance of living life outside of my womb. I just really pray he gets that opportunity,” she said.
The Alaska Superior Court denied the couple’s demand to relocate West to California to have the child. But before his birth, the Alaska court had ruled that a California court could determine where West would birth Gabriel and what group of doctors would treat him.
West gave birth before the California court could rule further. Though the child is under protected medical care, West is prohibited by a separate court order from seeing the baby.
“God has been so evident about it all in the ways He has connected me with people and surrounded me with people who love Him and love life and are completely willing to stand beside me as I go through this,” West said. “There are moments when I’m overwhelmed like, ‘How am I gonna do this?’ And other moments of just, ‘Me and this baby are so taken care of, and we’re not alone at all.’”
The legal outcome of the case is unclear, as well as who will receive custody of the child. But West’s attorney says West would consider taking the child if the court permits.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys are backing West legally. Erik Baptist, ADF senior counsel and director of the Center for Life, said in a press release that it is “an honor and privilege to represent McKenna in her courageous stand for Baby Gabriel’s life.”
“Every life matters,” Baptist said. “No woman should be forced to kill the baby she is carrying, and every child deserves a chance at life. We are thrilled that the court’s order calls for Baby Gabriel to receive the surgery necessary to save his life. And we are so grateful for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s heroic, invaluable efforts to preserve this precious child’s life.”
Lila Rose, president of Live Action, asked people to pray for West and Gabriel.
“McKenna gave birth after courageously refusing the contracting parents’ demand that she abort him because of his serious but treatable heart condition,” Rose posted on X. “Heartbreakingly, a temporary restraining order issued yesterday prevented McKenna from seeing or holding the baby she carried and fought to protect. But Gabriel is doing well, and because of a separate court order, he is now on the path to receiving the life-saving medical care he needs. Please pray for this precious baby boy and for McKenna.”
