A baby born in Dallas on Wednesday is at the center of a national story involving a California couple, a surrogate mother from Alaska, and a multi-state surrogacy dispute. Baby Gabriel, the newborn, was born at a Dallas hospital. A Dallas family law judge has ruled that the surrogate who gave birth to him cannot make any decisions about his medical care.
The Backstory
Baby Gabriel’s surrogate mother, McKenna West, moved from Alaska to Texas after he was diagnosed in utero with a serious heart defect. West claimed the California couple that paid her to carry their baby initially tried to force her to abort the pregnancy. The couple has publicly denied that, and claims by Texas Attorney General Paxton that they refused to consent to heart surgery for the baby.
Attorney General Paxton sent a letter to UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to remind them they are legally obligated to provide necessary care for the child. “Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,” Paxton said.
What’s Next
There will be another hearing in a Dallas family court on August 25. The hearing will address unresolved issues, including who gets to carry out the treatment plan for the child’s heart condition and who gets custody of the baby.
Original reporting: Dallas – Ft. Worth Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
