Human Interest
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Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
HHS tells Texas hospital it must provide life-saving care to baby in surrogacy case
According to Fox News, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights is sending a letter to Children's Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center reminding them that they are required under federal law to provide treatment to baby Gabriel.
HHS is sending a letter to two Texas hospitals, reminding them that they are required to provide care to persons with disabilities such as Baby Gabriel.
Baby Gabriel was born in Texas on Wednesday via his surrogate, McKenna West. He requires life-saving heart surgery within the first two weeks after birth due to a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
The couple who hired West had attempted to force her to get an abortion after the diagnosis was given at 20 weeks, but West refused.
When the couple would not commit to getting Gabriel the surgeries he needed after birth, West went to Texas, where doctors have achieved a 100% success rate with the first needed surgery, and she sought custody of the baby.
She is currently prohibited from having contact with Gabriel, and though the couple is in Texas with Gabriel, it is unclear when his first surgery will take place.
HHS told Fox News Digital on Thursday that it is watching baby Gabriel's case and will provide technical assistance to the hospitals as doctors care for him.
It explained in the letter that under federal disability law the hospitals cannot withhold medical treatment for a patient based on that person's disability, "including based on judgments that the life of someone with a disability has less value or that the individual would impose a burden on others," reported Fox News. That includes life-sustaining care.
It is currently unclear when Gabriel will receive the first of the three surgeries he needs — the Norwood Procedure, which must be carried out within the first two weeks after birth.
Baby Gabriel was born on Wednesday in Texas after his surrogate mother, McKenna West, relocated there from Alaska so he could be treated by medical experts in treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
West had signed on to be a surrogate mother for a couple in California, now known to be Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. As a single mother, she wanted to both help an infertile couple have a child and make money to support her family without having to be away from her children. She also works as a nurse.
All was going well until the 20-week ultrasound, during which West learned the baby had a serious heart condition. Ultimately, Gilkar and Ahmed requested that she undergo an abortion in Seattle, but West did not want to go through with it. She felt the baby deserved a chance at life.
Despite facing a potential lawsuit if she did not have the abortion, West bravely found the best doctors she could for Gabriel, sought assistance in protecting him, and moved her family to Texas so Gabriel could get the care he needed.
Doctors at Dallas Children's have achieved a 100% success rate in recent years with the first of three surgeries Gabriel needs.
If Gllkar and Ahmed would have been willing to commit to getting Gabriel the necessary surgeries, West said she would have gone to California and give birth there as they wished. However, they would not commit to providing Gabriel with life-saving care at birth. Therefore, she sought custody to ensure Gabriel was not denied that care.
In the meantime, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed — and a judge granted — a petition instructing doctors to provide Gabriel with care at his birth, including at least the first of the three surgeries he would require. The petition also said that Gabriel could not be taken out of Texas.
After his birth, Gabriel was immediately taken from West, an act that has proven to have long term detrimental effects on children that can extend into adulthood.
Gilkar and Ahmed are now in Texas.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
HHS tells Texas hospital it must provide life-saving care to baby in surrogacy case
According to Fox News, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights is sending a letter to Children's Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center reminding them that they are required under federal law to provide treatment to baby Gabriel.
HHS is sending a letter to two Texas hospitals, reminding them that they are required to provide care to persons with disabilities such as Baby Gabriel.
Baby Gabriel was born in Texas on Wednesday via his surrogate, McKenna West. He requires life-saving heart surgery within the first two weeks after birth due to a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
The couple who hired West had attempted to force her to get an abortion after the diagnosis was given at 20 weeks, but West refused.
When the couple would not commit to getting Gabriel the surgeries he needed after birth, West went to Texas, where doctors have achieved a 100% success rate with the first needed surgery, and she sought custody of the baby.
She is currently prohibited from having contact with Gabriel, and though the couple is in Texas with Gabriel, it is unclear when his first surgery will take place.
HHS told Fox News Digital on Thursday that it is watching baby Gabriel's case and will provide technical assistance to the hospitals as doctors care for him.
It explained in the letter that under federal disability law the hospitals cannot withhold medical treatment for a patient based on that person's disability, "including based on judgments that the life of someone with a disability has less value or that the individual would impose a burden on others," reported Fox News. That includes life-sustaining care.
It is currently unclear when Gabriel will receive the first of the three surgeries he needs — the Norwood Procedure, which must be carried out within the first two weeks after birth.
Baby Gabriel was born on Wednesday in Texas after his surrogate mother, McKenna West, relocated there from Alaska so he could be treated by medical experts in treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
West had signed on to be a surrogate mother for a couple in California, now known to be Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. As a single mother, she wanted to both help an infertile couple have a child and make money to support her family without having to be away from her children. She also works as a nurse.
All was going well until the 20-week ultrasound, during which West learned the baby had a serious heart condition. Ultimately, Gilkar and Ahmed requested that she undergo an abortion in Seattle, but West did not want to go through with it. She felt the baby deserved a chance at life.
Despite facing a potential lawsuit if she did not have the abortion, West bravely found the best doctors she could for Gabriel, sought assistance in protecting him, and moved her family to Texas so Gabriel could get the care he needed.
Doctors at Dallas Children's have achieved a 100% success rate in recent years with the first of three surgeries Gabriel needs.
If Gllkar and Ahmed would have been willing to commit to getting Gabriel the necessary surgeries, West said she would have gone to California and give birth there as they wished. However, they would not commit to providing Gabriel with life-saving care at birth. Therefore, she sought custody to ensure Gabriel was not denied that care.
In the meantime, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed — and a judge granted — a petition instructing doctors to provide Gabriel with care at his birth, including at least the first of the three surgeries he would require. The petition also said that Gabriel could not be taken out of Texas.
After his birth, Gabriel was immediately taken from West, an act that has proven to have long term detrimental effects on children that can extend into adulthood.
Gilkar and Ahmed are now in Texas.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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