Surrogate Mom McKenna West Fights to Save Baby From Abortion

A surrogate mother is locked in a multistate legal battle to protect the life of the baby boy she is carrying after the intended parents demanded an abortion following a prenatal diagnosis of a serious but treatable heart condition.

McKenna West, a nurse and single mother of two from Alaska, agreed to serve as a surrogate for a California couple through Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists.

At a 20-week ultrasound, the baby — whom West calls Gabriel — was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a congenital defect in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.

Specialists have stated baby Gabriel has a good chance at survival with a series of surgeries beginning shortly after birth.

The intended parents, identified in court records only as A.B. and C.D., invoked a clause in the surrogacy contract and directed West to have an abortion that would kill the baby boy.

West refused.

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“I knew that I didn’t want to have to go through [an abortion],” she said. “I didn’t want for this baby — for his life to be cut short.”

No doctors in Alaska would perform the late-term abortion, which court documents describe as involving an injection to stop the baby’s heart followed by dismemberment.

West relocated to Texas near a hospital equipped to provide the specialized cardiac care Gabriel will need. She has filed for custody in Alaska so she can authorize the surgeries and has offered to relinquish all parental rights if the couple commits in writing to the life-saving treatment.

The parents have sued for parental rights, sought to compel her to give birth in California, stopped payments, and demanded repayment plus damages that could reach $250,000 — a sum West says would financially ruin her.

With West’s due date of September 2 approaching and the sides contesting whether the newborn will receive care or only comfort measures, courts in Alaska and California are weighing jurisdiction and parental rights.

West has stated: “I want to fight for him because he deserves that chance” and “My goal is to get him surgery.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, issued the following response:

“Ms. West has demonstrated heroic courage and love for this baby. According to reports, despite the threat of financial ruin, she refused to abort the baby boy, filed for custody, and relocated to Texas near a hospital that is equipped to begin treatment for his condition after he is born. Ms. West stated, ‘I want to fight for him because he deserves that chance’ and ‘my goal is to get him surgery.’

With Ms. West’s due date fast approaching on September 2, 2026, and the two sides vying to decide whether the baby boy receives care, the courts should act decisively to reject the lie that having a diagnosed disability makes this baby unworthy of life.We must remain committed to building a nation that values human life, insists upon equal justice under the law, and respects the rights and dignity of the disabled and vulnerable. The Courts should immediately give custody of this baby to those willing to welcome him, protect him, and ensure that he has a chance to receive care that could save his life.”

Pro-life advocates have hailed West’s stand as a powerful affirmation that every human life possesses inherent dignity, regardless of disability or the terms of a commercial contract. The case underscores ongoing concerns about surrogacy arrangements that treat children as commodities subject to abortion when imperfections arise.