McKenna West, the Alaskan nurse who defied her surrogacy contract by refusing to terminate a pregnancy and giving birth in Texas against the biological parents' wishes, is now facing serious financial pressure as the legal battle over custody of the baby intensifies, according to a friend who has set up a fundraiser on her behalf.
West signed a surrogacy agreement with California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed in August 2025. When the baby was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome at the 20-week scan, the biological parents requested termination under a clause in the contract allowing for abortion in the case of a fetal anomaly. West refused, travelled to Texas where abortion is illegal, and gave birth to the boy, who she refers to as Gabriel, on August 12. The biological parents refer to the child as Rumi in legal filings.
A friend of West's, who goes by Ellen, has now claimed that West has lost the surrogacy payments she was relying on and is facing the possibility of being sued for all money paid to her or on her behalf since the beginning of the arrangement. Ellen also said West has relocated away from home, is taking time off work while continuing to cover expenses there, and has no paid time off remaining for her own postpartum recovery.
A fundraiser set up on West's behalf has raised over $72,000 of a $100,000 goal at the time of writing. West had previously told Live Action News that she became a surrogate to make extra income for her family, and alleged the couple threatened to sue her for $250,000 for breaching the surrogacy contract when she refused to terminate.
The biological parents have custody of the baby, who is receiving care at a Texas medical centre. Their attorney Lee Budner described West's attempts to interfere with the baby's medical care as "baseless" and said the courts had "soundly rejected" them. He said his clients' sole focus remains their son's health and wellbeing.
West's attorney Lincoln Davis Wilson is challenging the parentage orders, arguing that Texas law recognises a woman who gives birth as the mother of the child. A California court had previously affirmed that Gilkar and Ahmed are the legal parents, and an Alaskan court rejected an attempt to force West to return to California to give birth.
The case has drawn intervention from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services, which contacted two Texas hospitals to remind them that withholding life-sustaining treatment based on disability is against federal law. A court hearing is scheduled for August 25.
