I’m the surrogate mother trying to save a baby’s life — but the biological parents wanted an abortion

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Key points

• Surrogate mother McKenna West was horrified when the parents of the baby she was carrying ordered her to abort the child over a birth defect.
• Last year, I agreed to be a surrogate for a couple in California.
• Yet when the contracting couple heard regarding the HLHS diagnosis, my worst fears came true: They ordered me to terminate the pregnancy.
• I'm a mom and cardiac nurse from Alaska, and I've spent my career keeping individuals alive.
• To treat a baby with HLHS, surgeons perform a staged repair, beginning with the Norwood procedure shortly after birth, followed by two more surgeries.

Surrogate mother McKenna West was horrified when the parents of the baby she was carrying ordered her to abort the child over a birth defect. West moved to Texas and offered birth, with the biological parents taking the child. With the two sides still locked in a legal battle, West tells The Post the only thing she wants.

I'm a mom and cardiac nurse from Alaska, and I've spent my career keeping individuals alive. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd spend this year fighting in courtrooms in three states to preserve the heartbeat of a baby I delivered myself. Surrogate mom on defying abort order.

Due to the onslaught of media coverage regarding my case – some true, some not – I'd like to set the record straight on what happened and why I'm fighting for this precious baby boy.

Last year, I agreed to be a surrogate for a couple in California. When I was 20 weeks pregnant with the child, a routine ultrasound made public the reason I now find myself embroiled in multiple bitter legal battles: The baby I carried had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious, but treatable, congenital heart defect, in April.

To treat a baby with HLHS, surgeons perform a staged repair, beginning with the Norwood procedure shortly after birth, followed by two more surgeries. This medical treatment gives children a high chance of going on to live full lives.

Yet when the contracting couple heard regarding the HLHS diagnosis, my worst fears came true: They ordered me to terminate the pregnancy. They wanted me to abort the precious child I was carrying. A great shot at surviva l.

No woman should be forced to kill the baby inside her. Most importantly, every child deserves a chance to live.

As a cardiac nurse, I knew this little one had a great shot at survival if given the opportunity to receive the necessary treatment.

After I communicated to the contracting couple that I could not end this baby's life, their lawyer and my own former lawyer sent me letters threatening six-figure penalties if I didn't comply with their demand to terminate. The contracting couple cut off my payments, and I covered the rest of the pregnancy expenses myself.

Notably, the threats eventually became real: The contracting couple filed claims against me in Alaska demanding at least one hundred thousand dollars $100, 000 since I did not end their son's life.

But no threat or amount of funds could sway my conviction that this baby had a real chance at a full life, and I could not participate in killing him and depriving him of that opportunity. All I wanted was for the contracting couple to commit to giving this baby lifesaving treatment. But they refused.

So, I created my own aims to save him. My home state didn't have a hospital equipped with the surgery he'd need at birth. After extensive research, I discovered a hospital in Texas with excellent surgical outcomes, including a 100% survival rate for the Norwood procedure. I additionally had friends in the area who could backing my kids and me through this tough time.

Meanwhile, the contracting couple wanted me to deliver the baby at a hospital in California, but that hospital didn't have the same perfect track record of success, and I had no one to backing me there. Obtain opinions and commentary from our columnists.

Still, I agreed to offer up any claim to the baby, if they would simply commit to the surgery that would save his life.

But after months in court, they continued to refuse this common-sense agreement. So, putting my job on hold, I moved my two children to Texas and delivered where I knew the baby boy would have the best odds at survival and my kids and me would have backing. He came into this world on Aug. 12, and I'm informed he received his first surgery.

Individuals have called this political theater. It isn't. This is regarding giving an innocent child a shot at the life he deserves. I'm eternally grateful that the Texas family court and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered that the baby boy I carried must receive the necessary surgery.

Yet this matter still isn't settled. The contracting couple is actively working to obtain the court order that required the baby's continued treatment thrown out.

It is unthinkable to me to offer birth to a precious, living, breathing baby boy and yet deny him the chance to survive.

I'm not fighting to try to take someone else's baby. I'm fighting since this baby boy needs someone willing to advocate for and fight alongside him as he gets the ongoing treatment his fragile heart requires. And it turns out that someone is me. With the legal assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, I have asked for only one thing from the particularly beginning: A commitment that this baby will be provided the life-saving treatment he needs. That is all it would take to end this.

I haven't been allowed to hold this precious baby boy I carried and protected throughout my pregnancy. The only glimpse I obtained of him was during a highly short 60 seconds while his umbilical cord was still connected. As shortly as the cord was cut, he was taken away.

You may know the story of King Solomon. Two women stood before him, claiming to be the mother of a child. But only one was committed to giving the child life. Today, that same story is playing out in US courts. Two sides are in a dispute, but only one of us is committing to lifesaving care. My plea, my only goal, is simple: Let's commit to giving this baby the full treatment he needs to live.

In short, I'm the surrogate mother trying to save a baby's life – but is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.