Baby’s Heart Defect Sparks Contract Brawl

A California couple is suing surrogate McKenna West for allegedly breaching their contract after she refused an abortion and delivered baby Gabriel in Texas.

Story Highlights

Court filings say West violated the surrogacy contract and lacks custody rights under a California order.
The couple seeks more than $100,000, tying their claim to West’s refusal to abort and her move to Texas.
West says she faced pressure and possible heavy penalties if she did not terminate after a heart defect diagnosis.
Texas judges issued orders on the baby’s care and limited West’s role after birth in Dallas.

What The Lawsuit Says And Where It Stands

Attorneys for the Los Angeles couple told a court that West broke the deal and tried to assert parental rights despite a California ruling that she has no legal or physical custody. Reporters who reviewed filings say the couple also won a temporary restraining order after birth that kept West from contact with the baby. That order lined up with their claim that she had no parental standing under the contract and California law.

New filings seek damages said to top one hundred thousand dollars. The claim links the money to payments and costs the couple says they faced after West refused a termination and left for Texas. Coverage of the suit says they want the court to enforce what they see as clear terms in the agreement and to make West pay for the losses they blame on her choices during the pregnancy.

Why Texas Became The Battleground

Baby Gabriel was born in Dallas after West traveled from Alaska late in the pregnancy. Lawyers for the parents say Texas judges placed the child with them and issued a restraining order against West. They also say courts blocked West from making medical decisions for the newborn, who needed specialized heart care soon after birth. Their team framed West’s filings as baseless and emphasized that courts backed the parents’ authority over treatment.

West argued that Texas law recognized her as the birth mother, and she moved there to protect the child’s life. Separate reports indicate a Texas court directed local hospitals to provide needed care at delivery, keeping the focus on the baby’s survival rather than contract fights. That immediate medical guidance in Texas ran alongside the custody and parentage disputes moving through California and other venues.

Competing Claims About Abortion And Contract Pressure

McKenna West says the intended parents and the surrogacy system pushed her to abort after an ultrasound showed a severe heart defect. She says people pointed to contract penalties if she refused to end the pregnancy, and that pressure made her feel trapped. Entertainment press and legal filings describe her account of a threatened six‑figure hit tied to breach if she would not go through with a termination she did not want.

The parents deny they asked for an abortion, creating a direct conflict of accounts. That dispute sits at the center of the case and will matter for any damages ruling. Reporters in Alaska noted the denial while also noting West’s statements about pressure and her moral stand to carry the child to term. For now, the record shows the baby was born, the parents hold custody, and the fight over money and contract terms continues.

What This Means For Life, Contracts, And State Lines

This case shows the hard edge of surrogacy deals when a baby’s diagnosis triggers abortion clauses. Legal scholars have long warned that no court can force a woman to end a pregnancy against her will, even if she signed a contract. That tension between a private agreement and bodily autonomy becomes even sharper when different states control birth, medical care, and parentage orders across state lines.

Conservatives will see two clear stakes. First, life should not be a line item in a contract. A baby with a heart defect is still a baby, and care, not cancellation, is the duty. Second, state sovereignty matters. Texas courts focused on saving the child and setting clear custody rules. As the lawsuit moves forward, leaders should strengthen laws so no contract can bully a woman into an abortion or punish her for choosing life.