McKenna West and the biological parents of Rumi, a newborn boy, are involved in a legal dispute over his birth and care.
McKenna West and the biological parents of Rumi, a newborn boy, are involved in legal dispute over his birth and care. The infant was born in a Dallas hospital on Wednesday after a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a life--threatening condition. The Los Angeles-based biological parents sought to terminate the pregnancy, while West, the surrogate mother, argued that the child was not biologically hers and felt it was selfish to end his life. West traveled to the Texas state to have the birth, where Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a court order requiring life-sustaining care for the child. The biological parents' attorney, Lee Budner, stated that the couple has full legal custody and expressed frustration that their family tragedy was being turned into political theater. The baby, referred to as 'Baby Gabriel' by anti-abortion activists, faces a high risk of additional health problems despite potential surgeries to manage his heart condition.
Sources
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McKenna West Surrogacy Fund Nears $80K as Friend Details Financial Burden
TMZ
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A Fight Over Abortion and Surrogacy Ends With a Baby Born in Texas
nytimes.com
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A multistate legal battle surrounds a surrogate who fled to Texas to have a baby against the parents’ wishes
NBC News
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LA couple's surrogate McKenna West gives birth in Texas to baby with heart defect
ABC7 Los Angeles
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Baby at center of surrogacy rights case is born in Dallas
texastribune.org