McKenna West Celebrates Baby Gabriel Getting First Surgery
McKenna West, an Alaska nurse and surrogate mother who fought to save her surrogate baby Gabriel from abortion, is celebrating the fact that he recvied the first of three needed surgeries.
Gabriel had surgery on Monday to repair a heart defect that had prompted his biological parents to demand abortion in the first place. Gabriel is recovering under the care of his biological parents, who have renamed him Rumi.
Today, West, in comments to LifeNews celebrated the fact that he got the first part of the medical care he needs.
“My focus has always been on protecting this precious baby’s life. It was great to hear that he received the first of the three necessary surgeries yesterday. What matters most now is making sure he gets the life-saving care he will need in the coming months, care that the other side is currently fighting in court for their ability to withhold. My focus therefore remains on protecting his life.”
The baby was born August 12 in the Dallas area after surrogate mom McKenna West, an Alaska nurse, traveled to Texas and declined to kill him in an abortion following a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. West has said the California couple who hired her repeatedly pressured her to abort after the 20-week diagnosis.
Attorney Lee Budner, representing biological parents Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, confirmed the infant underwent a Norwood procedure, described as “a complex palliative heart surgery.”
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“Rumi is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff,” Budner said in a statement.
The Norwood is the first of three surgeries typically required in the early years of life for babies with the condition.
“This is the last update on Rumi’s health that his family intends to share,” Budner added. “His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery.”
West has maintained that she refused to kill Gabriel in an abortion because she believed the child’s life deserved protection, and she is continuing a court fight for custody. Her attorney, Lincoln Wilson, has argued that under Texas law the woman who gives birth is the legal mother.
“She is seeking parentage of the child because she gave birth in Texas, and in Texas, if you give birth to a child, it’s your child,” Wilson said.
Budner called West’s ongoing claims “baseless” and “in violation of multiple court orders out of both Alaska and California.”
“We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi’s parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else,” he said.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened before the birth, seeking court orders to ensure the baby received life-saving care and could not be removed from the state. The biological parents have denied any intent to withhold treatment and said they had planned for care in California.
In court filings they stated they respected West’s decision not to abort.
About 925 babies are born each year in the United States with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
