Texas Woman Gives Birth to Baby After Dispute Over Abortion Following Serious Heart Diagnosis

A Texas woman, West, has given birth to a baby boy after becoming involved in a legal dispute with the child’s biological parents over an abortion she says they asked her to undergo following a serious prenatal diagnosis.

According to the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the baby’s biological parents asked West to terminate the pregnancy after learning that the unborn child had been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a serious congenital heart condition.

West later travelled to Texas, where she gave birth to the baby on August 12.

However, the biological parents have denied forcing or threatening West to have an abortion.

Court filings previously reported by The Texas Tribune indicate that the parents’ lawyers argued West had initially agreed to terminate the pregnancy and had even scheduled an abortion procedure before changing her mind.

West has denied wrongdoing and is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed against her.

Since his birth, the baby—whom West calls “Gabriel” and his biological parent refers to as “Rumi”—has already undergone the Norwood procedure, the first of three complex surgeries commonly required for children born with HLHS.

The legal dispute centres on the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and the decisions made after the baby’s heart condition was diagnosed.