Abortion

The biological mother at the center of the McKenna West surrogate baby battle broke down in court Tuesday ... accusing West of trying to steal her child.

Nausheen Gilkar sobbed as she testified in Dallas ... saying West is now trying to claim the baby she and her husband hired her to carry.

As TMZ previously reported ... the baby -- whom West calls Gabriel and the biological parents call "Rumi" -- was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and is in critical condition after heart surgery.

McKenna West's baby Gabriel's health is declining days after his complex heart surgery … and he is in critical condition. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, the biological parents who are battling McKenna over custody of the boy, claim the newborn they call "Rumi" underwent a complex open-heart surgery called the Norwood Procedure.

They say in the last 24 hours, "Serious medical developments have arisen that impact the health and safety of the child. The child is in critical condition and being closely monitored at the hospital."

McKenna West is firing back at the biological parents of baby "Gabriel" ... denying their claim that she is trying to get child support from them ... TMZ has learned.

In new court docs, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, the California couple who hired McKenna to be their surrogate for the child they call "Rumi," claim McKenna wants them to pay child support.

They also claim her lawyer requested they cover her legal fees and support.

They note, however, that McKenna has not made any allegations that they are unfit parents.

Surrogate McKenna West is scoffing at the biological parents being upset at her for naming the newborn baby Gabriel amid their nasty court battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, McKenna asked the court to toss the counterclaims brought by Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed ... after they demanded more than $100,000 in damages.

Nausheen and Omar alleged they suffered emotional distress and other damages from the ordeal McKenna put them through when she refused to abort the baby against their wishes after finding out it had a heart defect.

McKenna flew to Texas to give birth, but the biological parents have been temporarily awarded custody and decision-making authority over the baby. The court battle remains ongoing.

In her new filing, McKenna said Nausheen and Omar claim McKenna is violating their surrogacy agreement by calling the baby Gabriel. Nausheen and Omar insist the baby's name is Rumi.

2:30 PM PT -- Lee Budner, attorney for the child's biological parents, tells TMZ ... the baby underwent surgery this morning and "is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff."

Budner tells us ... "This is the last update on Rumi's health that his family intends to share. His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery."

He adds ... "Meanwhile, Ms. West continues to assert baseless claims for custody of Rumi, in violation of multiple courts orders out of both Alaska and California. We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi's parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else."

We're told the Norwood procedure is the first of three surgeries required within the first several years of life for children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The biological parents who wanted their surrogate to terminate the pregnancy are now taking steps to keep their newborn alive ... telling a judge they've decided their son will undergo major heart surgery.

According to a court filing, obtained by TMZ, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed have elected to have the baby undergo the Norwood procedure after consulting with doctors at Children's Health.

The Norwood procedure is a complex open-heart surgery performed on newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- the condition doctors discovered during the pregnancy. It helps the side of the heart that works pump blood through the body.

Surrogate McKenna West says she knows a person who was born with the same heart defect as Baby Gabriel ... and she claims they are now a "thriving teenager."

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, McKenna says the baby was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, just like Gabriel ... and they underwent at least three surgeries.

The docs say McKenna's maternal-fetal-medicine specialist got in contact with the biological parents to explain to all three of them how approximately 70% of children with HLHS live beyond their fifth birthday.

The specialist made it clear McKenna would need to travel out-of-state to successfully deliver this child ... and that's exactly what she did.

McKenna West says she couldn't go through with terminating her pregnancy, despite Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed insisting she do so ... even though she previously stated she talked it over with a psychologist and was willing to do so if they wanted it done.

A new legal filing includes the surrogacy agreement the parties signed back in August 2025 ... and one section clearly states there "shall be a termination of the pregnancy for a fetal abnormality" upon request of Gilkar and Ahmed.

As we reported ... the baby, who West named Gabriel, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- a congenital heart defect -- during the 20-week fetal scan.

McKenna West -- the surrogate who ran off to Texas to have a California couple's baby without their consent -- will have absolutely no authority over the baby to whom she gave birth, this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

We've obtained a copy of the temporary restraining order obtained by the biological parents of baby Gabriel -- the name which West gave the baby -- and it strips her of any decision-making with respect to the child's care.

The TRO states she cannot make any medical decision on behalf of Gabriel, exercise any possession of him, represent herself as his parent, guardian or medical decision maker, or sign any document on behalf of him.

The biological parents of the baby born to a surrogate who refused to have an abortion against their wishes have custody of the child for now ... at least according to their lawyer, who says the political theater surrounding the birth "devastated" them.

Lee Budner of Calabrese Budner, counsel to the baby's biological parents, tells TMZ ... their son -- named Gabriel by surrogate McKenna West -- was born Wednesday morning and is now in their physical custody while he receives medical care.

The couple's lawyer adds ... his clients are placing the baby's health first and following the advice of his medical team.

1:12 PM PT -- McKenna West will have no authority over the baby according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

10:33 AM PT -- The biological parents of the newborn baby born into surrogacy who refused to have an abortion against their wishes, now have temporary custody of their child.

A surrogate who refused to abort the baby she was carrying -- despite the wishes of the boy’s biological parents -- reportedly gave birth early Wednesday amid a bitter legal battle with the intended parents.

Here's the sitch -- McKenna West, a surrogate from Alaska, was carrying a baby for a California couple. At the fetus' 20-week scan, doctors discovered it had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare birth defect where the left side of the heart does not grow correctly ... and it needs 3 surgeries to correct when the child is born, per Boston Children's Hospital.

The surrogacy agreement had a clause that allowed the couple to choose to terminate the pregnancy if there was an "anomaly" found ... but McKenna refused and fled to Texas, where she would be seen as the birth mother, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Celeste Rivas was not pregnant when prosecutors say D4vd killed her ... clearing up a lingering question after an amendment to her death certificate created confusion.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office confirmed the finding Wednesday to PEOPLE ... saying the 14-year-old was not carrying a child at the time of her April 2025 death.

The clarification comes days after prosecutors laid out an 18-month trail of deeply disturbing texts between Celeste and D4vd -- real name David Anthony Burke -- during his preliminary hearing.

Justene Alpert -- popular actress and author -- says she and her husband made the difficult decision to terminate her pregnancy after doctors said their unborn baby had a rare genetic disorder which made carrying the child dangerous for both mother and baby.

Justene shared her story on Instagram Tuesday ... revealing she and her husband, Mason Trueblood, were just starting to tell friends and family about the pregnancy in December when they received a call from their family doctor.

The actress, who has credits to her name like "Rescue: HI-Surf," "How I Met Your Mother," and "9-1-1," doesn't say what disease doctors found ... but she says they told her they highly recommended she terminate the pregnancy quickly ... worrying for her safety -- and making it clear the child would not make it to term.

Jesse Ridgway isn't letting those "go to Hell" comments get to him ... because he's not religious. He shared an Instagram story Wednesday where he explained he's pretty unbothered by the abortion backlash.

ICYMI, the YouTuber -- who goes by McJuggerNuggets online -- has come under fire because he and his wife, Ashley, had terminated their pregnancy when they learned their unborn child had Down syndrome.

But Jesse isn't going to shy away from the subject because people are upset, saying ... "I'm doing this not just for myself and my wife and my family, but for all the families, all the prospective parents."

Jesse Ridgway did a shocking impression of a person with Down syndrome years before he and his wife chose to terminate her pregnancy after finding out their baby had the condition.

Here's the deal ... almost 9 years ago, Ridgway posted a 45-minute video for his series "The Devil Inside" in which his character snaps, and he takes on different personalities. Near the end of that video, Jesse is forced to snap at gunpoint -- and he takes on the personality of someone he says has Down syndrome.

Warning, it's a tough watch ... Ridgway employs a stereotypical voice and adds mannerisms often used by people mocking those with special needs. He's only in the guise for about a minute of the overall runtime before he crashes through a mirror and seems to regain his original personality.

YouTuber Jesse Ridgway claims his wife Ashley's family is not supporting her after the couple ended their pregnancy because their unborn child had Down syndrome ... and he says some of his in-laws are allegedly kicking her while she's down.

Jesse ripped Ashley's family in a social media post Tuesday, saying they are "nowhere to be found" at a time when she needs love and support.

What's more, Jesse claims some of his in-laws are even joining in on the public backlash against them.