A Surrogate Says the Couple’s Own Lawyer, Hired to Represent Her, Told Her She’d Owe $250,000 If She Didn’t Get the Abortion
· Thought Catalog
Updated 9 minutes ago, August 15, 2026
McKenna West gave birth in Texas on August 12 to the baby boy she’d carried for a California couple, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, who wanted the pregnancy terminated after doctors diagnosed the fetus with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious congenital heart defect, around 20 weeks.
In a lawsuit against Worldwide Surrogacy, West says the parents tried to invoke an abortion-upon-demand clause in the agreement and warned of “severe financial repercussions” if she refused. She’d scheduled an abortion in May but couldn’t go through with it, later writing in emotional letters that she had “a baby boy with a heartbeat, capable of feeling pain, kicking inside.”
Nausheen and Omar counter that West had already collected substantial money under the contract, including payments for medical fees, travel, and living expenses up to $60,000. They also dispute the name Gabriel.
A Texas judge granted a temporary restraining order handing the couple decision-making authority over the child. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has backed West and moved to make sure two Texas hospitals would provide care, and her lawyer says she’ll take the case to the Supreme Court if needed.
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