Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for baby with heart condition

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for…?

Of the 51 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 20% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 60% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 79. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for… left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 51 rated outlets on this story, 20% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 60% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for… biased?

Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for baby with heart condition is one event reported by 79 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for…?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for…?

79 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What is hypoplastic left heart syndrome?

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare congenital condition where the left side of the heart does not develop properly. Babies with HLHS typically require a series of complicated surgeries after birth, including the Norwood procedure, to reroute blood flow and support the body. The condition was diagnosed at 20 weeks in the fetus carried by surrogate McKenna West.

Why are the biological parents suing the surrogate?

Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed are suing McKenna West for over $100,000, alleging she breached their surrogacy contract by refusing to terminate the pregnancy after the fetus was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. They claim her refusal caused them financial and emotional harm. West denies wrongdoing and says she acted to save the child’s life.

What happens next in the legal case?

A Texas court hearing is scheduled for 25 August to address parentage and custody disputes. Earlier court orders have recognised Gilkar and Ahmed as the child’s legal parents, while West has been prevented from making medical decisions or exercising possession of the baby. The court will also consider the enforceability of the surrogacy contract and West’s challenge to the parentage orders.