On Tuesday, for the first time since the August 12 birth of Baby Gabriel/Rumi, surrogate mother McKenna West faced the biological parents in a Dallas court. West, Nausheen Gilkar, and Omar Ahmed appeared before Dallas County Judge Ashley Wysocki to determine whether the temporary restraining order filed against West, which prevents her from having contact or making medical decisions for the baby, would be upheld.
As RedState reported, West fled to Texas because Gilkar and Ahmed demanded she abort the preborn baby due to the discovery of a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This condition is fatal without treatment, which requires three surgeries that work to correct the heart.
Through the intervention of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, once Baby Gabriel was born, he received emergency care and underwent the first surgery to correct the heart condition, called the Norwood procedure. Gilkar and Ahmed were granted the temporary restraining order against West, and Baby Gabriel/Rumi has been under their care ever since. Gilkar and Ahmed have sued West for breach of contract, requesting $100,000 and other unspecified damages.
In the Tuesday evening hearing, Judge Wysocki extended the temporary restraining order against West for another 14 days, and also ruled that all parties, including West, must refer to the child as “Rumi,” in accordance with his birth certificate. Beyond that, no rulings were made on custody or conservatorship for the baby's care.
Surrogate McKenna West breaks down describing abortion procedure at over 20 weeks during court battle with baby's biological parents https://t.co/kSRCMkiHgF pic.twitter.com/51mDQrITw2
— New York Post (@nypost) August 25, 2026
According to court documents, Baby Gabriel/Rumi took a turn for the worse on Monday and had to be placed back on a breathing tube. He is now in critical condition.
West's emotionally charged testimony detailed the abortion procedure she says Gilkar and Ahmed would have required she undergo had she not fled to Texas in order to save Baby Gabriel/Rumi's life. West said she refused the abortion because Baby Gabriel/Rumi deserved to live.
“I knew that I wanted to protect him and I knew he deserved to be protected,” she told the court. “I knew that he deserved to be protected and that he deserved a chance.”
She tearfully described the procedure she refused to undergo — despite being contractually obligated to do so.
“It would have been a two-day procedure…they would have injected his heart with a solution that would stop it,” West described while tearing up.
Two days later, the fetus would have been removed, she said.
“It was terrifying.”
Nausheen Gilkar's testimony was also emotionally charged, as she accused West of being mentally ill and trying to steal their baby.
Gilkar broke down on the stand while attacking West, claiming she is mentally ill.
“He’s our child,” she said. “She’s trying to take him from us.”
She sobbed as she told the judge West was trying to steal the child she and her husband hired West to carry. The court recessed so she could compose herself.
Gilkar said she turned to surrogacy after eight failed rounds of IVF and a hysterectomy. She said her body “gave up on me.”
“This was our only option,” she said. “We’ve never wanted anything more than this baby.”
I would surmise that if the couple could afford to pay a surrogate $60,000 plus medical expenses to carry the baby, that they could have afforded to adopt a child.
The couple’s lawyers argued that West was only a “carrier,” that a California court has already declared Gilkar and Ahmed the sole legal parents, and that West’s maternity claims should be dismissed.
They said West signed a surrogacy agreement allowing them to kill baby Gabriel in an abortion over “fetal abnormalities,” moved to Texas without their permission, and refused an amniocentesis they contend delayed the baby’s open-heart surgery.
Here is a terrible admission: Gilkar reportedly admitted that she and Ahmed asked West to abort Baby Gabriel/Rumi after they received the diagnosis of HLHS. Gilkar denied that the couple refused, or intended to refuse, medical care after the birth.
No matter how you slice it, no one's hands are clean. However, this admission could weigh against Gilkar and Ahmed in any custody decision.
West’s lawyers have argued that the court should make sure the baby continues to receive life-saving care. West told the judge she would abandon her custody request if the court determines the intended parents are committed to that care, according to the AP.
Gilkar and Ahmed have asked the court to delay a hearing over the temporary restraining order that gave them custody while the legal fight continues, TMZ reported.
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