Baby at center of LA-Texas surrogacy legal battle undergoes heart surgery, attorney says

Infant at Center of Surrogacy Custody Fight Undergoes First of Three Heart Operations

Tyunews.com – LOS ANGELES — The baby boy caught up in a bitter legal dispute between a Los Angeles couple and his surrogate mother has survived his initial cardiac procedure, his parents’ attorney confirmed.

Background of the Dispute

Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar retained McKenna West, an Alaska resident, to carry their child. Midway through the pregnancy, physicians identified hypoplastic left heart syndrome in the developing fetus — a condition that can prove fatal. West later alleged the couple asked her to end the pregnancy. She traveled to Texas, where she delivered a boy the couple chose to name Rumi. Anti-abortion advocates have taken to referring to the infant as “Baby Gabriel.” The Ahmed-Gilkar pair now holds custody of the child.

First Surgical Stage Completed

Lee Budner, the couple’s attorney, issued a statement describing the procedure as “a complex palliative heart surgery,” the initial step in a three-stage surgical plan to address the infant’s cardiac condition. Budner noted that the parents gave their approval without delay so the operation could proceed at the hospital’s earliest possible slot.

“My clients immediately provided consent for the surgery to occur at the hospital’s earliest availability. Rumi was taken into the operating room for surgery earlier this morning (August 17th).”

“His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery.”

According to the statement, the infant is now recuperating alongside his parents.