A North Texas infant at the center of a multi-state surrogacy dispute underwent his first open-heart surgery in Dallas on Monday, his biological parents’ attorney said, as the couple criticized Attorney General Ken Paxton for intervening after the baby’s birth.
The baby, diagnosed before birth with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, had the Norwood procedure, the first of three staged operations typically used to treat the condition, according to attorney Lee Budner. The infant was born last Wednesday in the Dallas area. The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California, have custody and refer to him by a different name. Surrogate McKenna West of Alaska has called him Gabriel.
West entered a surrogacy agreement with the couple. After the diagnosis around 20 weeks, Paxton’s office said the intended parents asked her to end the pregnancy. West refused and traveled to Texas. Paxton’s office intervened in a Dallas County parentage case, notified UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas of their duty to provide care, and secured an emergency court order requiring medically necessary treatment and limiting the child’s removal from Texas.
I secured an emergency court order ensuring that baby Gabriel receives life-saving care in Texas. pic.twitter.com/Yv84BFoFi7
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 12, 2026
Budner said the parents have sought involvement in the baby’s medical care and that the child is recuperating after Monday’s surgery. In statements reported by LifeNews and other outlets, the couple have criticized Paxton’s involvement after the birth. Paxton’s office has said the intended parents had not agreed to consent to surgery and that the child deserved a chance at life.
A guardian ad litem was appointed, and further court proceedings remain scheduled. Two additional surgeries are typically needed in the first years of life, according to medical descriptions of the condition cited in court-related reporting.
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