(McKenna. photo by New York Post)
A surrogate mother in the United States is being sued by the biological parents of a baby she carried after she refused their request to end the pregnancy when doctors discovered the baby had a serious heart condition.
Nasheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed had hired McKenna West, 28, to carry their baby for $60,000.
Their contract included a clause allowing them to end the pregnancy if serious problems were found.
At five months into the pregnancy, ultrasound scans showed that the baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare birth defect that affects how the heart functions.
It is a serious condition that requires multiple surgeries and lifelong medical care.
The biological parents asked West to terminate the pregnancy, but she refused.
She went ahead and gave birth to the baby on August 12.
West named the child Gabriel, while the biological parents have given him the name Rumi.
Now Gilkar and Ahmed are suing West for more than $100,000, saying she broke their agreement.
They are also asking for additional damages, describing her conduct as outrageous and harmful.
West’s lawyer says the intended parents have not given her any financial support since she refused to end the pregnancy.
West is now preparing to fight a legal battle over who has the right to raise the child.
Her lawyer says she is claiming parentage because she gave birth to the baby in Texas, and Texas law recognizes the woman who gives birth as the mother.
However, an expert in reproductive law said West likely has no legal claim to the child.
The biological parents have denied that they ever threatened to force West to have an abortion.
West, who has had two previous pregnancies, said she believed the baby deserved a chance at life despite the diagnosis.
She stated that no woman should be forced to end a pregnancy and that every life matters.
