{"id":2643459,"date":"2026-08-12T05:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-steps-into-legal-battle-between-surrogate-and-parents-over-unborn-baby\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T06:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:01:48","slug":"paxton-steps-into-legal-battle-between-surrogate-and-parents-over-unborn-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-steps-into-legal-battle-between-surrogate-and-parents-over-unborn-baby\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton steps into legal battle between surrogate and parents over unborn baby"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpaxton-steps-into-legal-battle-between-surrogate-and-parents-over-unborn-baby%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2643459&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas attorney General Ken Paxton became involved in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/next-victim-star-pitcher-for-the-dodgers-trevor-bauer-reveals-texts-from-his-accuser-following-settlement\/\" title=\"&#039;Trevor Bauer shares texts from accuser after settlement: Dodgers&#039; star pitcher targeted next.&#039;\">high-profile legal dispute<\/a> regarding the healthcare rights of an unborn baby, known as &#8220;baby Gabriel,&#8221; amidst a broader debate over abortion and medical care. Paxton, who is campaigning for Senate, filed a petition to intervene in a Texas court case involving surrogate McKenna West, who traveled from Alaska to texas for treatment of the baby&#8217;s heart defect, and a California couple, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, the intended parents.The Los Angeles-based couple has sought to have West deliver the baby in California and reportedly refuses to consent to necessary medical treatment for the baby&#8217;s severe heart condition after birth. <\/p>\n<p>Paxton argued that, under Texas law, once the baby is born on Texas soil, he must receive lifesaving surgery regardless of parental wishes, emphasizing that the child&#8217;s right to life and medical treatment should be protected. He sought an emergency court order to prevent the baby&#8217;s removal from Texas and to ensure he receives the required healthcare, reminding medical facilities of thier legal obligation to provide necessary treatment. The case has garnered support from anti-abortion groups, which emphasize the value of unborn life and praise Paxton\u2019s intervention. <\/p>\n<p>the legal battle highlights ongoing conflicts between parental rights, medical obligations, and state laws concerning the protection of infants with critical health conditions, with the Texas AG actively advocating for the child&#8217;s right to lifesaving care amidst a politically charged environment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4370\">Ken Paxton<\/a> waded into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-sets-trial-date-for-elon-musk-legal-battle-with-twitter\/\" title=\"Judge Sets Trial Date for Elon Musk ... With Twitter\">high-profile legal battle<\/a> on Tuesday between a surrogate and a California couple over an unborn baby\u2019s access to lifesaving <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/healthcare\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"8776\">healthcare<\/a>, which has captivated anti-abortion activists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton, who is running for Senate, filed a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/G%20Brief.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/G%20Brief.pdf\">petition<\/a> to intervene in the Texas court case between surrogate McKenna West, an Alaska resident who traveled to Texas to get treatment for the unborn baby\u2019s heart defect upon his birth, and a California couple, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, who are the intended parents of the unborn child and have filed a different lawsuit in California court seeking to have West deliver the baby in the Golden State.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4683367\/paxton-legal-battle-baby-gabriel\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Paxton steps into high-profile legal battle between surrogate and parents over unborn baby<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4683508\/rebecca-cooke-bests-dsa-challenger-democratic-nomination\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rebecca Cooke bests DSA-backed challenger for Democratic nomination in Wisconsin House seat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4681622\/minnesota-democratic-senate-primary-results-2026\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Peggy Flanagan defeats Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate primary, extending progressive winning streak<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">West alleged in a court filing that the California couple asked her to get an abortion after the baby, referred to by Paxton and other activists as \u201cbaby Gabriel,\u201d was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe heart condition that requires treatment after birth. She also claimed that the couple wants West to deliver the baby in California and has refused to agree to allow the baby to have the lifesaving treatment for his heart condition after birth.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBaby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,\u201d Paxton said in a statement. \u201cMy office will use every tool available to protect innocent lives and ensure that every child receives the care required under Texas law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the court filing seeking to intervene, Paxton\u2019s office argued that once the baby is born on Texas soil, he must be given lifesaving surgery under state law and cannot be denied that treatment by any parental figure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe question the Court must prepare to answer is not whether a gestational agreement is enforceable. The question is whether any adult, whatever parental title he or she holds, may decline life-saving surgery for a newborn who can live, because the child will live with disabilities. Eighty years of Texas law, a uniform body of constitutional doctrine, and an express federal command all answer no,\u201d the court filing from the Texas attorney general\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe child about to be born in Dallas County will be a person, a Texan, and this Court\u2019s ward in the oldest sense of the parens patriae tradition. The agreement that arranged his conception cannot require his death. And the statutes of this State place in this Court\u2019s hands every instrument needed to protect him,\u201d Paxton\u2019s office wrote in the filing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton is seeking an emergency order in Dallas County court that would bar baby Gabriel from being removed from Texas and ensure that he is given lifesaving treatment upon his birth. The attorney general\u2019s office also sent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/G%20Letter.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/G%20Letter.pdf\">letters<\/a> to both the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center\u00a0and the Children\u2019s Medical Center Dallas that reminded the medical facilities of their legal obligation to give the child necessary healthcare upon birth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton\u2019s office said it would be closely monitoring the case for further developments and would pursue all legal remedies to ensure the unborn baby receives \u201cthe treatment that Texas law requires.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anti-abortion groups, which have been advocating for baby Gabriel to receive access to treatment for the heart condition upon birth, praised Paxton\u2019s intervention in the legal battle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4679112\/dc-circuit-congress-approval-white-hosue-ballroom\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4679112\">TRUMP MUST GET CONGRESS\u2019S APPROVAL FOR WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, DC COURT RULES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe applaud Attorney General Ken Paxton for taking swift action to protect baby Gabriel\u2019s life,\u201d Texas Alliance for Life Executive Director Amy O\u2019Donnell said. \u201cNo contract should have the power to require a child to die because of a disability or diagnosis. Every unborn child is valuable and worthy of protection, and we are proud to live in a state where the sanctity of human life is recognized and protected from conception to natural death.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton, a Republican, has waded into the legal fight over baby Gabriel ahead of a hotly contested race for Senate in the Lone Star State between himself and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. The Senate race in Texas has been rated as \u201clean Republican\u201d by the Cook Political Report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paxton intervenes in Texas surrogate baby healthcare case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2643460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ken-paxton-baby-gabriel.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[70791,36890,44332,36292,15839],"class_list":["post-2643459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-custody-battle","tag-family-law","tag-legal-dispute","tag-reproductive-rights","tag-surrogacy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ken-paxton-baby-gabriel.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2643459"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2643463,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643459\/revisions\/2643463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}