--- title: "Surrogate asks Supreme Court to intervene in baby custody dispute" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-10T14:25:30.444Z" source_reported: "2026-09-10T13:23:15.849Z" updated: "2026-09-10T14:25:30.444Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-10T15:30:24.922888+00:00" --- # Surrogate asks Supreme Court to intervene in baby custody dispute *McKenna West seeks to halt a ruling naming a California couple as legal parents to a child born with a severe heart condition.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to named individuals and lawyers, and the full report cites court filings and AP. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. The report clearly separates fact from comment and names specific individuals and dates. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use phrases like 'life hangs in balance' and 'fight' which are mildly sensational. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Surrogate McKenna West has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute over a baby born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. - West refused a California couple's alleged request to abort the fetus after a serious heart diagnosis. - A Los Angeles court order recognized the California couple as the child’s legal parents. - West's lawyers filed an emergency application asking Justice Elena Kagan to temporarily halt the lower court decision. Surrogate McKenna West is seeking intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding a baby born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). West refused a request from a California couple, identified as Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, to terminate the pregnancy after the fetus was diagnosed with the condition. A Los Angeles court subsequently issued an order recognizing Gilkar and Ahmed as the child’s legal parents. West's legal team has filed an emergency application with Justice Elena Kagan, asking for a temporary halt to the lower court's decision. The baby was born in Texas on August 12 with HLHS, a disorder where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. According to court filings, West stated that the couple asked her to end the pregnancy after the condition was identified during a 20-week ultrasound. West declined, citing the availability of medical treatment and her connection to the fetus. She offered to raise the child herself or arrange an adoption, releasing the couple from financial obligations. West's attorneys allege she was warned of potential financial penalties exceeding $250,000 for continuing the pregnancy. ## Disagreement over court jurisdiction and parental rights Gilkar and Ahmed pursued legal action in California to establish their parental rights. West contended that the dispute should be handled in Alaska, as per the surrogacy agreement, and argued she appeared in California only to contest the court's jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Superior Court determined that West had accepted its authority by addressing the case's substance in a lengthy filing. West's lawyers maintain that most of this filing consisted of exhibits supporting her jurisdictional challenge and that she repeatedly refused to argue the underlying case, stating that 'no' should not be interpreted as 'yes.' West also claims she was not properly served with court papers, which were allegedly delivered to her babysitter without disclosure of their contents. A California judge declared Gilkar and Ahmed the legal parents on June 22, and West's attempts to halt this ruling in state courts were unsuccessful. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific amount of financial penalties McKenna West's attorneys allege she was warned of, which Internewscast reported as potentially exceeding $250,000. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (1) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 67% (4) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-10T15:30:24.922888+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-10T16:00:19.205Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Courthouse News Service led on the multistate fight over custody of the newborn, framing it as a clash over abortion, surrogacy, and parental rights. The report noted that the surrogate had the baby against the parents' wishes and that this situation had drawn the Supreme Court into the dispute. ### Centre - Internewscast, which published a full report, focused on McKenna West's request for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. The outlet highlighted that West refused a California couple's alleged request to abort their baby after a serious heart diagnosis and that a lower court decision had left her unable to advocate for the medically vulnerable newborn. The report detailed West's legal arguments regarding jurisdiction, service of process, and the couple's alleged attempt to penalize her financially. It also included statements from the couple, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, referring to the child as 'our child' and 'the love of our lives,' and describing the baby as 'suffering a lot.' ### Right - The right-rated reports from Dagens Nyheter, nytimespost.com, Fox News, and wfmd.com all focused on McKenna West's refusal to abort the fetus and her subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court. Headlines from these outlets frequently used phrases such as 'baby's life hangs in balance,' emphasizing the critical nature of the situation. Fox News and wfmd.com specifically mentioned that the Supreme Court was being asked to block a California court ruling that declared a couple the legal parents of the baby born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 3 - high: 2 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Dagens Nyheter.](https://dn.se/varlden/surrogatmamman-som-vagrade-abort-ber-hogsta-domstolen-ingripa) — Surrogate Mother Who Refused Abortion Asks Supreme Court to Intervene - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/us/surrogate-who-refused-abortion-appeals-to-supreme-court-in-dispute-over-babys-life) — Surrogate Who Refused Abortion Appeals to Supreme Court in Dispute Over Baby’s Life - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/surrogate-who-refused-abortion-takes-babys-life-or-death-case-to-supreme-court) — Surrogate Who Refused Abortion Takes Baby’s Life-or-Death Case to Supreme Court - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/surrogate-who-refused-abortion-takes-fight-to-supreme-court-as-babys-life-hangs-in-balance) — Surrogate who refused abortion takes fight to Supreme Court as baby's life hangs in balance - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/us/surrogate-refused-abortion-takes-fight-supreme-court-babys-life-hangs-balance) — Surrogate who refused abortion takes fight to Supreme Court as baby's life hangs in balance - [Courthouse News Service](https://courthousenews.com/surrogate-who-had-baby-against-parents-wishes-pulls-supreme-court-into-high-profile-custody-fight) — Surrogate who had baby against parents’ wishes pulls Supreme Court into high-profile custody fight - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/09/surrogate-who-refused-abortion-takes-fight-to-supreme-court-as-babys-life-hangs-in-balance) — Surrogate who refused abortion takes fight to Supreme Court as baby’s life hangs in balance ## Questions **Who is McKenna West and what is her role in the dispute?** McKenna West is a surrogate mother who carried a baby for a California couple. She refused their alleged request to abort the fetus after it was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and is now seeking Supreme Court intervention in the custody dispute. **What is hypoplastic left heart syndrome?** Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare congenital disorder where the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. This condition requires significant medical intervention, including multiple surgeries, shortly after birth. **What is McKenna West asking the Supreme Court to do?** West's lawyers have filed an emergency application asking Justice Elena Kagan to temporarily halt a lower court decision that recognized the California couple as the child's legal parents. This action aims to give West a path back into the Texas case to advocate for the child. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Surrogate asks Supreme Court to intervene in baby custody dispute", https://mediabias.news/politics/surrogate-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-baby-custody-dispute