Surrogacy dispute escalates after McKenna West gives birth to baby with heart defect

Baby holding mother's hand (Representative Image, Canva) A complex surrogacy dispute involving California, Alaska and Texas intensified after surrogate McKenna West gave birth in Texas to a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe and life-threatening congenital heart condition. The baby was born on August 12 and is receiving specialised medical care. According to the intended parents’ attorney, the child is now in the custody of the intended parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, while West continues to challenge the custody arrangements as per CBS News. The Associated Press reported that the baby was born a day after a Texas judge ordered that life-sustaining care be provided, adding another chapter to a case involving medical decisions, parental rights and differing state laws.How the dispute beganWest, who is from Alaska, was serving as a gestational surrogate for California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. During the pregnancy, doctors diagnosed the fetus with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, at about 20 weeks.HLHS is a serious congenital heart condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. Babies born with the condition g...