Supreme Court Refuses to Step Into Surrogate Custody Battle in California Case
Supreme Court declines to intervene in custody dispute between California couple and surrogate who gave birth to child with heart defect.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, United States — The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to get involved in a legal battle over the custody of a newborn with a severe heart condition, leaving a California couple and their surrogate in a complicated legal standoff.
The case centers on a surrogacy agreement between the couple, Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, and McKenna West, who became pregnant in December and later gave birth in Texas after a medical diagnosis led to a dispute over parental rights.
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A California court had previously recognized Ahmed and Gilkar as the baby’s legal parents, but West sought emergency intervention from the Supreme Court, claiming that the couple was blocking life-saving care for the child. The justices did not grant her request, allowing the existing court order to stand.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
