The biological parents of a baby born with a serious heart defect have asked a judge to bring their continuing legal dispute with his surrogate to an end.
California couple Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed accused McKenna West, who delivered their son, of trying to profit from the intense media attention surrounding the case, TMZ reported Tuesday.
According to the outlet, Gilkar and Ahmed alleged that West, 28, had continued pursuing the court battle despite previously indicating that she would withdraw it.
The couple also claimed that West was still seeking custody of the baby, whom they named Rumi, the report said.
West’s attempts to take part in the boy’s medical treatment have already been rejected by courts in multiple states.
West has previously said that Ahmed and Gilkar pressured her for weeks and repeatedly urged her to have an abortion after doctors diagnosed the baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Gilkar and Ahmed, however, alleged that West later changed her position, cut off communication with them and continued the pregnancy against their wishes.
She gave birth to the boy on August 12 in Dallas, Texas, where most abortions are banned. West has called him Gabriel rather than Rumi.
Surrogate mother McKenna West, 28, has been accused of refusing to end her legal battle with the biological parents of the baby she delivered
Biological parents Omar Ahmed, right, and Nausheen Gilkar, center, alleged that West was attempting to profit from media coverage of their son’s case
West entered into a surrogacy agreement with Gilkar and Ahmed in August 2025 through a company called Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists LLC.
The contract contained a provision requiring her to terminate the pregnancy if an “abnormality” was identified.
The couple said West had agreed to end the pregnancy after the baby was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, according to Alaska court documents cited by the Associated Press.
One legal filing said it was “undisputed that West initially agreed and that she herself made the initial appointment,” the AP reported.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome occurs when one side of the heart is severely underdeveloped, disrupting normal blood flow. Symptoms can include gray or bluish skin, breathing difficulties, skin rashes and a weak pulse.
The congenital heart defect can be treated with a series of surgeries performed soon after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the procedures do not cure the condition, they can help restore the heart’s function.
About 925 babies in the United States are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome each year. Without treatment, the condition can be fatal within days or weeks.
Court filings also said the couple wanted West to give birth in California so the baby could begin treatment for his heart condition in the western state.
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The parents alleged that West was “harming” their son by “requiring him to be born in Texas, away from his parents and the specialized cardiac team in Los Angeles that will provide his lifelong care,” according to the AP.
The baby was photographed surrounded by tubes, wires and breathing equipment after undergoing major heart surgery
McKenna West, the Alaska surrogate mom who refused to abort the child, has called him Gabriel, while his biological parents insist on calling him Rumi
West eventually discovered a hospital in Texas that had a 100 percent success rate in recent years with the first of three surgeries the baby would require.
She was also put in touch with Lila Rose, the founder and president of anti-abortion group Live Action, who assured West that she would help her get to Texas.
Days before she gave birth, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office was intervening to ‘protect baby Gabriel’s life’ by notifying UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas of legal obligations to provide life-saving care.
Gilkar and Ahmed have accused West of contracting with special interest groups for money and legal representation, per TMZ.
The baby boy underwent a major heart surgery known as the Norwood procedure after being born.
On September 2, Texas District Court Judge Ashley Wysocki ruled against West’s attempt to gain sole conservatorship of the child.
The Superior Court of California for Los Angeles County had already recognized Gilkar and Ahmed as his legal parents in June.
Plus, the Texas Supreme Court blocked her attempt to prevent the biological parents from taking the baby to a hospital in LA, where they live.
West took her legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court, but she was denied by Justice Elena Kagan
West took her fight up to the Supreme Court but she was denied by Justice Elena Kagan on September 22.
Kagan did not detail the legal reasoning, which is typical in emergency appeals. She made the decision because she handles appeals of cases out of California.
‘We are grateful that Rumi can continue receiving the treatment he needs to survive, and that he will not be stripped away from his parents, who are ensuring their child receives top-notch medical care,’ Ahmed and Gilkar’s legal team told Our News Outlet then.
‘Ms. West’s legal filings across three states, numerous courts of appeals, and now the US Supreme Court have sought to undermine Rumi’s parents’ right to provide him with the care he needs,’ the statement continued. ‘Those efforts have been rejected by every single court.’
Photos have shown the tiny boy covered in tubes and medical equipment with a long scar running down his chest.
Our News Outlet has reached out to West’s attorney, Lincoln Davis Wilson, and the couple’s legal team for comment.
