Baby Gabriel’s “Parents” Sue McKenna West for 100K for Not Killing Him in Abortion

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The biological parents of Baby Gabriel, the infant saved from abortion by his surrogate mother McKenna West, are suing her for more than $100,000 after she refused their demand to kill him.

Nasheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed filed a countersuit against McKenna West, a 28-year-old nurse from Alaska, weeks before she gave birth in Texas on August 12 to their son, who was diagnosed with a serious and rare heart defect.

The couple had agreed to pay West $60,000 to carry their child under a contract that included an abortion clause allowing them to end Gabriel’s life if there were issues with the baby.

At around 20 weeks, the unborn child was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a life-threatening congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. West refused their request to abort and traveled to Texas, where state law recognizes the woman who gives birth as the mother.

West named the baby Gabriel. The biological parents now insist his name is Rumi.

Gilkar and Ahmed are asking a judge to award them more than $100,000 in damages from West for breaking the deal, plus unspecified damages for her alleged “malicious, outrageous conduct.”

Lincoln Wilson, an attorney for West, said Gilkar and Ahmed “haven’t given [West] anything since she declined to terminate the pregnancy.”

“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.

West has said the California couple repeatedly pressured her to abort after the diagnosis.

In a statement, she declared: “Every life matters. No woman should be forced to end the life of the baby she is carrying — including me … Baby Gabriel should receive a chance at life.”

On Monday, Baby Gabriel underwent a Norwood procedure, a complex palliative heart surgery that is typically the first of three operations required for infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Attorney Lee Budner, representing the biological parents, said: “Rumi is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff.”

Budner added: “This is the last update on Rumi’s health that his family intends to share. His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery.”

Budner described West’s ongoing claims to parentage as “baseless” and “in violation of multiple court orders out of both Alaska and California.” He said the biological parents “look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi’s parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened before the birth to ensure the baby received life-saving care. The biological parents have denied any intent to withhold treatment and stated in court filings that they respected West’s decision not to abort.

West continues her legal fight for custody of the child she carried and protected.