Update:
A major life-and-death battle is taking place between Texas and California, with a surrogate mother right at the center.
Here's Dr. Ethan Haim with the details:
Well, Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting to save the life of an unborn child, having the little one to be born in Texas, away from his surrogate "parents," so that the little baby can receive lifesaving treatment.
Attorney General Ken Paxton has intervened in a Dallas County parentage case to protect the life of an unborn child who is expected to be born imminently with a serious but treatable heart condition. The Office of the Attorney General has also formally notified UT Southwestern Medical Center ('UT Southwestern') and Children's Medical Center of Dallas ('Dallas Children's') of their legal obligations to provide the baby with medically necessary, life-saving care upon birth.
Yup, the surrogate parents who purchased a stranger's womb wanted the baby born in California and allowed to die in palliative care.
After releasing the initial statement, Attorney General Paxton announced that he had won an emergency court order to allow the young child to be born.
Here are more details on the case from Town Hall:
Baby Gabriel was diagnosed at 20 weeks with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a fatal condition if not treated through surgeries. Upon learning of this diagnosis, Gabriel's parents ordered his surrogate mother to abort him. Mckenna West, the surrogate, refused and fled to Texas to seek protections. The parents are refusing to consent to the required surgeries to save the child, and are legally trying to force the birth to occur in California. Should baby Gabriel be born in California, he will be subject to palliative care rather than the life-saving surgery, which will likely end in death.
Paxton issued an intervention into the case, which would direct the child's care upon birth, prohibit his removal from the state, and set an expedited hearing on any refusal of treatment. He also issued a letter to Southwestern and Dallas Children's Hospital, explaining physicians' legal duties to save Baby Gabriel regardless of the dispute, and told physicians they may provide the life-saving care even without parental consent or a court order.
Thank goodness the courts came through, although I wouldn't be surprised to see a California court counter.
A huge eye-opener when it comes to this whole surrogacy thing. And a huge win for baby Gabriel!
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