Parents Reveal Surrogate Refused Abortion Before Baby Born With Heart Defect

Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed finally speak out about why they fought so hard to end their pregnancy after the surrogate mother refused an abortion. The biological parents of baby boy Rumi have opened up now that McKenna West is seeking sole custody of the infant she fled across state lines to protect. Gilkar told a Dallas court on Tuesday what happened before her body gave up on her entirely. She endured eight failed rounds of IVF and eventually needed a hysterectomy, making this surrogacy arrangement their only option left.

The couple hired West when no other path existed for them. By April, the surrogate learned the baby in her womb had been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a delicate condition that might mean the child would not survive without intervention. Gilkar and Ahmed's lawyer argued that West refused an amniocentesis test during the pregnancy. That specific test would have told doctors definitively if the unborn baby was a candidate for the open-heart surgery necessary to keep him alive. Without it, medical teams were flying blind.

Gilkar admitted she and her husband asked West to terminate the pregnancy due to these complications with the heart condition. She denied ever refusing or intending to refuse medical care for the child once born. The court saw the surrogacy agreement West signed. It agreed to allow parents the option to end the pregnancy if fetal abnormalities were present. This clause became central to the hearing after West fled Alaska and crossed into Texas to give birth on August 12.

Health complications hit the moment Rumi entered the world. He required immediate resuscitation at birth. Gilkar sobbed in court, describing how they tried to give him medicine but the tube came out and he stopped breathing until a chaplain was called. She said, 'He's suffering a lot.' Genetic testing, blood work, and echo cardiograms have already been performed on the infant. The two-day open heart procedure known as the Norwood is scheduled for him. However, that surgery has been delayed by days because West did not get the amniocentesis test while she was pregnant.

Due to his constant need for medical attention, Gilkar and Ahmed have only held Rumi a handful of times since he was born. They are desperate to see their son more often but lack the time. 'He the most beautiful person I've ever seen,' Gilkar said before becoming so overwhelmed with emotion that the court had to recess in order for her to compose herself. She insisted, 'We've never wanted anything more than this baby.' This statement came after she testified about the eight failed IVF attempts and the hysterectomy that left them with no biological path forward except through surrogacy.

She is the love of our lives," the biological mother said, her voice tight while still wearing the orange hospital bracelet on her wrist.

The couple has been in Texas since August 10, a date that changed everything when their surrogate, McKenna West, moved to the Lone Star state without permission to carry their son home.

Baby Rumi is now in critical condition. His lawyer testified it would take another three to four weeks before doctors could confirm if the surgery actually worked and that he would stay in critical care for at least a month.

In the meantime, lawyers for the biological parents are asking the court to dismiss West's claims of maternity entirely. They argue she signed an agreement acknowledging she was just the "carrier" while Gilkar and Ahmed remain the sole legal and genetic parents.

A judge in California has already ruled in their favor, declaring them the only legal parents of the child.

West, who is a mother to her own two biological children, faces a temporary restraining order that bars any contact with the newborn. Her lawyer represents her as paid for by the Alliance Defense Freedom group. They argue she is the mother because she gave birth. She has filed for custody and sued the parents for breach of contract since they stopped paying her salary.

Defending herself on Tuesday, West said she "knew that I wanted to protect" the baby.

"I knew that he deserved to be protected and that he deserved a chance," she said during the hearing. Her legal fees and living expenses are being covered by a conservative group even though she raised more than $128,000 in an online fundraiser herself.

When the nearly five-hour long hearing ended, Dallas County Judge Ashley Wysocki ruled to extend the temporary restraining order for 14 days while she mulls the final decision on custody. She also ordered that future matters regarding the case would be sealed to protect baby Rumi.