{"id":2664036,"date":"2026-09-18T09:27:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T13:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignparents-who-wanted-to-abort-their-children-should-not-have-custody-of-them\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T09:32:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T13:32:06","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignparents-who-wanted-to-abort-their-children-should-not-have-custody-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignparents-who-wanted-to-abort-their-children-should-not-have-custody-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents Who Wanted to Abort Their Children Shouldn&#8217;t Get Custody"},"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\">20<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignparents-who-wanted-to-abort-their-children-should-not-have-custody-of-them%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=2664036&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>The story highlights the ongoing legal and moral conflict surrounding McKenna West, a surrogate mother who now appeals to the Supreme Court to retain custody of the baby she carried, Gabriel, after the intended parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, initially wished to abort him due to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsurrogacy-is-a-form-of-slavery-it-should-be-abolished\/\" title=\"Surrogacy Is A Form Of Slavery. It Should Be Abolished\">treatable heart condition<\/a>. west defied their wishes, kept the baby, and fought for his life, demonstrating profound sacrifice and care. Meanwhile, the intended parents, who have historically expressed a desire to end the baby&#8217;s life, have recently gained custody but may not provide the necessary medical treatment if the baby is removed from Texas. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utah-files-lawsuit-to-reclaim-state-control-over-public-lands\/\" title=\"Utah Files Lawsuit To Reclaim State Control Over Public Lands\">case underscores broader issues<\/a> in commercial surrogacy, including the commodification of children, inconsistent parental rights and protections across states, and the moral questions surrounding personhood, abortion, and treatment for disabled infants. West\u2019s advocacy emphasizes the importance of love, sacrifice, and the intrinsic dignity of human life amid these complex legal and ethical debates.  <\/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<div>\n<p>The travails of the surrogate mother <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/17\/baby-gabriels-surrogacy-nightmare-proves-her-body-her-choice-was-always-a-lie-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">McKenna West<\/a> continue, as she now appeals her case to the Supreme Court. Originally from Alaska, West agreed to be a surrogate for a couple from California, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. When a doctor discovered that the baby had a serious yet treatable heart condition 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Gilkar and Ahmed demanded that West abort him.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of complying with the order to obtain a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-circuit-breaker-on-election-night\/\" title=\"The question looms: just how does it come to be that three quarters of Republican and nearly one third of Democrat voters all believe that the election was stolen from Trump?\">late-term abortion<\/a>, West kept the baby and took refuge in Texas, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-au\/news\/other\/surrogate-who-refuses-to-abort-baby-scores-legal-win\/ar-AA29VPGs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained a court order mandating that treatment be provided<\/a>. Paxton did so, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/news\/releases\/attorney-general-paxton-secures-emergency-court-order-ensuring-baby-gabriel-receives-life-saving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, because Gilkar and Ahmed \u201crefused to agree that they will consent to the life-saving surgery for Gabriel after he is born.\u201d The child, whom West calls Gabriel but whom the intended couple call Rumi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifenews.com\/2026\/08\/12\/baby-gabriel-is-born-after-his-surrogate-mom-protects-him-from-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was born<\/a> just over a month ago and is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/us\/articles\/surrogate-mckenna-west-fears-baby-193406189.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">receiving treatment in a Dallas hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As it happens, this current fight over Gabriel-Rumi mirrors the famous story of King Solomon judging the case of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1%20Kings%203:16-28&#038;version=CEV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two women claiming to be the mother of the same child<\/a>. After hearing both women speak, Solomon tells them that he will cut the child in half and give them equal parts. While one woman is fine with Solomon\u2019s \u201cequitable\u201d solution, the other woman forfeits her claim in order to spare the child. Solomon then takes this as proof that the latter was the real mother since she cared about the child while the other did not.<\/p>\n<p>The same dynamics appear in the conflict between West and the baby\u2019s intended parents. By all available evidence, West has shown that she cares for the well-being of the baby whom she gestated and bore, while Gilkar and Ahmed have only shown that they originally wanted to kill the baby and even <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/19\/us-news\/biological-parents-sue-surrogate-mckenna-west-for-100k-for-breaching-contract-not-aborting-baby\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demanded a refund<\/a> when this didn\u2019t happen. In this case, there is no need to test their love by proposing to split the baby. The facts are clear for all to see.<\/p>\n<p>Which is why, morally speaking, even if Gilkar and Ahmed say they have changed their minds about the baby and want to care for him, West still has a stronger claim. She has sacrificed everything and continues to fight for his well-being. She has demonstrated a deep understanding of the baby\u2019s infinite dignity and value; the intended parents have sacrificed nothing and understand nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Along with treating human beings as commodities to be bought and sold, this depressing absence of love and sacrifice is what makes commercial surrogacy so wrong. Not only do all children deserve a chance at life, but they also deserve to be truly loved. Gilkar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/mckenna-west-takes-custody-battle-to-the-supreme-court\/ar-AA2cnpdV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can insist<\/a>, \u201cHe\u2019s the love of our lives,\u201d but no one believes this. She and Ahmed paid for a child, wanted the surrogate mother to kill that child, and, in a just world, fully deserve to have this child taken away from them.<\/p>\n<p>Although the courts officially granted custody to Gilkar and Ahmed earlier this month, West has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/us\/articles\/surrogate-mckenna-west-fears-baby-193406189.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed an emergency brief<\/a> \u201cto the U.S. Supreme Court amid fears the baby she carried could soon be removed from Texas.\u201d Understandably concerned about the fate of the baby under the care of Gilkar and Ahmed, she doesn\u2019t believe \u201cthe baby will continue receiving the medical treatment he needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For their part, Gilkar and Ahmed \u201chave denied allegations that they would deny their son necessary medical care,\u201d and Gilkar has said that Gabriel-Rumi is \u201cthe most beautiful person I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d While this sounds nice, it is entirely undermined by their original desire to end the baby\u2019s life in the womb. Moreover, by taking the baby back to California, there will be less pressure to keep the baby alive. Everything would depend on the goodwill of the parents.<\/p>\n<p>Besides illustrating the <a href=\"https:\/\/crisismagazine.com\/opinion\/the-story-of-mckenna-west-shows-the-moral-insanity-of-commercial-surrogacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inhuman, exploitative nature of surrogacy<\/a>, where a child is treated as a commodity, the story of West and her baby highlights the other serious problem: parental custody. Unlike adoption, where parents are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfps.texas.gov\/Child_Protection\/Adoption\/default.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rigorously vetted<\/a>, couples using a surrogate face no such scrutiny. They could be <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/16\/gay-dads-disturbing-diary-illuminates-dysfunctions-of-buying-babies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sexual deviants<\/a> who want a human plaything, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/16\/the-baby-purchasing-business-continues-to-be-an-unmitigated-disaster-for-everyone-involved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eccentric Chinese billionaires who want to sire hundreds of children<\/a>, or just dissatisfied adults who see little problem with killing their offspring for being defective.<\/p>\n<p>This issue is further complicated by the widely varying policies on abortion across the country. Depending on the state, an unborn baby may be entitled to life, as in <a href=\"https:\/\/texas.public.law\/statutes\/tex._health_&#038;_safety_code_section_170a.002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas<\/a>, or subject to a parent\u2019s whims and aborted at any stage of a pregnancy, as in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/OHE\/abortion\/Pages\/your-rights\/your-legal-right-to-an-abortion.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a>. Put another way, in Texas, an unborn baby is considered a person and thus has legal protections, but in California, an unborn baby is effectively considered a possession that can be disposed of for any reason.<\/p>\n<p>And, with the disturbing <a href=\"https:\/\/everymancommentary.substack.com\/p\/friends-dont-let-friends-tiktok?r=1auoq&#038;utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&#038;utm_medium=post%20viewer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">widespread support of Lindsay Clancy<\/a> revealing a growing tolerance for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2026\/09\/06\/lindsay-clancy-mistrial-children-forgotten\/91592504007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">after-birth abortion<\/a> (aka infanticide), questions about personhood and human rights are not exclusive to the unborn. Already, several states, now including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/other\/massachusetts-just-legalized-abortion-through-birth-nobody-wants-to-say-so\/ar-AA2ccD1T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Massachusetts<\/a>, have legalized late-term abortions, a grisly procedure that involves <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/womens-health\/faqs\/induced-abortion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cutting up viable infants in utero<\/a>. The logical basis for this (that is, the baby is not a person and has no rights) can easily be extended to purposely denying treatment to infants born with health conditions \u2014 say, a serious heart condition.<\/p>\n<p>All of this explains why McKenna West is fighting to keep the baby in Texas, so he is assured ongoing treatment. She has even said that she \u201cwould abandon her custody bid if she were assured he would continue to receive appropriate care.\u201d Assuming the baby recovers completely, his parents would have less reason and fewer means to end his life.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Auguste Meyrat is an English teacher and freelance writer in the Dallas area. He is the founding editor of <a href=\"https:\/\/everymancommentary.substack.com\/\">The Everyman<\/a>, a senior contributor to The Federalist, and has written for essays for The American Mind, The Stream, Religion and Liberty, The Blaze, and elsewhere. He is also the host of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/everyman-commentary\/id1826292273\">The Everyman Commentary Podcast<\/a>.&#8221; Follow him on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EverymanComm\">X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surrogate McKenna West appeals case amid baby\u2019s health dispute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":2664037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-18.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32868,85856,36890,34304,85857],"class_list":["post-2664036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-abortion-rights","tag-custody-battles","tag-family-law","tag-parental-rights","tag-parenting-conflicts"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-18.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664036","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\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2664036"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2664046,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664036\/revisions\/2664046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2664037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2664036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2664036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2664036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}