L.A. surrogate defies parents’ wishes, gives birth to baby with heart defect amid legal battle

ktla ^ | 08/14/2026 | : Vivian Chow

[BenLurkin]

A baby born with a rare heart defect is at the center of a bitter legal dispute between the child’s biological parents and the woman who gave birth to the baby as a surrogate against their wishes.

McKenna West, 28, agreed to act as a surrogate for Los Angeles couple Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar.

The couple opted to terminate the pregnancy at around 20 weeks after it was revealed that the boy had a rare and life-threatening congenital heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in which the left side of the heart doesn’t develop fully.

According to a copy of the surrogacy contract obtained by the Dallas Morning News, the document West signed allows for the intended parents to choose abortion in the case of a fetal anomaly.

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TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: surrogate

[Raycpa]

i know a mom who acted as a surrogate twice. I am sure this mom would never have an abortion.

[lee martell]

That was very noble of her, choosing to protect the fetus, vs aborting him as ordered, but she should not have agreed to be a surrogate in the first place, if she did not wish to abide by that agreement. She was not forced.
Did the bio parents give the surrogate their approval to provide their names to the public? The article is not clear.

[bwest]

She should raise the baby in the Jewish faith.

[TTFX]

but she should not have agreed to be a surrogate in the first place, if she did not wish to abide by that agreement

- - - - - - -

The article suggests that parts of the contract might not be enforceable.

[Wayne07]

Assuming there is an abortion clause for severe abnormalities in the agreement, this specific case is going to be in a grey area. You won’t know how bad it is until the child is born. It could be largely fixed by surgery, or the child could die from the heart issue, or the heart could be repaired, but there is brain damage.

[bobbo666]

This is an example of a legit abortion. The kid’s life will be a horror, and everyone will be paying.

99% of abortions are unnecessary or for political reasons — like PlannedParenthood’s goal of murdering black babies. But, the minuscule few are used by the murderers to justify abortion up to and just past a healthy birth.

[FamiliarFace]

There are zero reasons that make it right to kill an unborn baby, or even a born one.

[ronniesgal]

good for her!!! however, are the parents a male same sex couple? If yes she should not have been a surrogate for them.

[T.B. Yoits]

...choosing to protect the fetus, vs aborting him as ordered, but she should not have agreed to be a surrogate in the first place, if she did not wish to abide by that agreement.

If she had 'aborted the child as ordered', she would have committed a contract "hit".

[Mark]

How many decades in prison will she get for breaking that contract? (/S)

[DLfromthedesert]

20 weeks is late pregnancy and abortion at this stage is barbaruc.

[CFW]

Two days ago, the baby was a clump of cells the “parents” wanted murdered. Today, it’s their baby and they want full custody and control over the child. The poor child may not make it to age 5.

[madprof98]

I am surprised (well, not all that surprised) to see comments here supportive of the “parents” who wanted the baby killed, just as this leftist “report” from California is. Evidently pro-life among MAGA folks has taken a hit - along with almost everything else.

[arthurus]

No abortion is “necessary” unless carrying to term would kill the mother. Even with that it is not totally necessary as some mothers faced with that choose the life of the baby over their own.

[arthurus]

Human life is worth nothing to a Moslem except as it may secure support for the father in his old age. They brought their culture with them and cling tenaciously to it. If Americans as a whole do not wake up, that culture will be imposed on the whole country. It does NOT take a majority of Moslems and sychophants to accomplish that as they vote en bloc and all of them vote, 10 to 20% can give them control. They do control the Democrat primaries where they are 10% except where the Democrats are already predominant and “manage” the elections.

[Cloverfarm]

Life of the mother ... at that stage the baby would be delivered not aborted

[FamiliarFace]

My son has a friend whose sister was diagnosed with cancer. I don’t remember which kind at this moment. Shortly after the cancer diagnosis, she found out she was newly pregnant. She opted to not abort and to not have cancer treatments so that her daughter might live. It was a gut-wrenching decision. The cancer treatment would’ve likely been the death of the baby inside her.

Fast forward several years. IIRC the little girl is 6 or 7 now. It was quite the goodbye for her beloved Mama. It was a rough time. And a beloved time.