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Health

Texas Supreme Court permits transfer of surrogate-born infant to California

The Guardian reports that Texas judges cleared a baby with a severe heart defect to move for medical care.

The short version

  • The Texas Supreme Court allowed a month-old infant born via surrogate to be moved from Texas to Los Angeles for heart disease treatment.[The Guardian]
  • The surrogate attempted to block the transfer, alleging the biological parents intended to place the infant in hospice care, an assertion disputed by the parents.[The Guardian]
  • A doctor in Texas warned that the critical window for an intensive-care transport is currently open but narrow.[The Guardian]

Key facts

  • The Texas Supreme Court authorized the relocation of a month-old infant with a severe heart defect from Texas to a Los Angeles hospital.[The Guardian]
  • The child has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition restricting blood flow that requires extensive surgery.[The Guardian]
  • Surrogate McKenna West attempted to prevent the biological parents from relocating the baby out of Texas.[The Guardian]
  • A California court had previously affirmed custody rights for the biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Surrogate McKenna West alleged the biological parents intended to place the child in hospice care, while attorneys for the parents denied the claim.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.