Surrogate McKenna West
I Was Threatened With $250K Fine If I Didn’t Abort Baby
Published
McKenna West claims she was facing the threat of a six-figure fine under her surrogacy contract if she didn’t abort the baby she was carrying for a California-based couple … TMZ has learned.
We obtained the lawsuit McKenna filed against Worldwide Surrogacy over the baby she was carrying for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. As we’ve previously reported, the parents wanted the baby aborted due to health issues doctors found.
McKenna refused and gave birth on August 12 in Texas to a baby boy she named Gabriel … which the couple says is not the child’s name.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke out in favor of McKenna … and took steps to ensure two Texas hospitals would provide medical care.
In her lawsuit, McKenna said she struggled with the abortion demand, saying she had “a baby boy with a heartbeat, capable of feeling pain, kicking inside.”
She said she’d “bonded with baby Gabriel for over four months as he grew and developed – sharing nutrition, oxygen, antibodies and hormones with him.”
McKenna said she was threatened with “severe financial repercussions” if she didn’t comply with the abortion demand. She claims Nausheen and Omar tried to invoke an abortion-upon-demand clause in the surrogacy agreement to force her to get the procedure or face a massive financial consequence.
McKenna said she had an abortion scheduled in May but didn’t ultimately go through with it. She also said she offered to raise the kid on her own but was rejected.
In her suit, she said a lawyer hired by the couple to represent her in the surrogacy negotiations threatened that she would be on the hook for $250K under the contract if the termination did not occur.
In docs filed by Nausheen and Omar, the couple claims McKenna had already received substantial financial benefits under the contract, including payments for her medical fees, travel, and certain living expenses up to $60K.
As TMZ previously reported, McKenna’s lawyer claims she will take the case to the Supreme Court if needed … following a Texas judge granting a temporary restraining order that gives Nausheen and Omar decision-making authority over the child.
McKenna also sent emotional letters in May, explaining why she couldn’t go through with the abortion.
