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Texas Supreme Court Authorizes Medical Transfer of Surrogate-Born Infant to California
Just the facts
The emergency order arose from an interstate custody conflict between surrogate McKenna West and biological parents Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed concerning the infant, named Rumi. Gilkar and Ahmed, who reside in California, previously requested that West terminate the pregnancy after prenatal testing diagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome, leading West to travel from Alaska to Texas to give birth. A California court had earlier affirmed the custody rights of Gilkar and Ahmed, while West subsequently petitioned courts to maintain medical authority and prevent the child's departure from Texas. In authorizing the relocation, the Texas justices cited medical testimony from the child's physician indicating that an immediate intensive care unit transfer is necessary to preserve the infant's life.
Why this is news
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order permitting the transfer of a one-month-old infant with a life-threatening heart condition from Texas to an intensive care unit in Los Angeles, California.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.