Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the controversial case where a couple of California parents called for their hired surrogate to abort their intended baby after the child was found to have a heart defect.
The “Baby Gabriel” case has divided many along the pro-life and pro-abortion divide after the surrogate mother traveled to Texas in search of life-prolonging care for the baby.
‘Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care.’
The unborn child has a serious but treatable heart condition, and the California couple have threatened to transport the child out of Texas to avoid the extensive surgeries necessary to save the baby’s life.
On Tuesday Paxton released a statement announcing that he had officially notified UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas of their legal obligation to provide the baby with “medically necessary, lifesaving care upon birth.”
Paxton said he also asked a district court to issue an order preventing the removal of the baby from Texas.
“Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,” said Paxton in the press release. “My office will use every tool available to protect innocent lives and ensure that every child receives the care required under Texas law.”
The surrogate mother is a nurse and single mom of two from Alaska named McKenna West. Court documents said the biological parents triggered the “abortion on demand” clause of their agreement after learning about the heart defect diagnosis.
“Every life matters. No woman should be forced to end the life of the baby she is carrying — including me,” West told the New York Post.
“Baby Gabriel should receive a chance at life.”
The biological parents had demanded that West travel to Seattle, Washington, for the abortion procedure after Alaskan doctors refused.
West refused and tried to relieve the parents of financial responsibility for the child, but they refused and sued her for $250,000. She faces bankruptcy if they are successful, West says.
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The couple, however, have accused West in court documents of refusing to undergo an amniocentesis test to identify genetic disorders in order to seek money from them.
Paxton is in the middle of a bruising campaign for the U.S. Senate, which may determine whether Democrats are able to seize control in Congress.
The Baby Gabriel case helps highlight the Republican’s pro-life beliefs in contrast to his far-left competitor, James Talarico. The Texas Democrat enthusiastically supports a woke church that has referred to abortion as a “blessing.”
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