A surrogacy battle playing out in Dallas, Texas, is getting national attention and taking a new turn. The baby at the center of the dispute was born Wednesday, and now the fight is over who should care for him.

Background

McKenna West, an Alaska nurse, was carrying a baby for a California couple when at about 20 weeks, doctors diagnosed the baby with a serious heart defect that will require multiple surgeries. West’s attorneys said the biological parents pressured her to end the pregnancy, but she refused, sharing her story with the pro-life organization Live Action.

West left Alaska and went to Texas, where her attorney said she found specialists who could treat the baby’s condition. The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, dispute West’s account of what happened after the diagnosis and deny that they intended to refuse surgery once the baby was born.

Court Involvement

The battle moved into court, and on Tuesday, the State of Texas intervened. Hours later, a Dallas judge sided with the State, ordering that the baby receive life-sustaining medical care in Texas. The baby was born Wednesday in Dallas, and the biological parents now have custody.

West’s attorney says she wants custody of the child, citing Texas law that defines her as the child’s mother since she gave birth to him. However, a California court has already ruled that the baby’s biological parents are the child’s legal parents. West’s attorney is challenging that ruling, prepared to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut (Hartford) — read the source article.