abortion

Update: Baby Gabriel Survives First Heart Surgery; Biological Parents Sue Surrogate

Baby Gabriel is alive and recovering from his first major heart surgery in his biological parents’ custody while they sue the surrogate who refused to abort him.

The case captured national attention when it broke about two weeks ago, raising serious questions about IVF, commercial surrogacy and what happens when adults disagree about whether a child should be given the chance to live.

Baby Gabriel was born on August 12, 2026, in Dallas after McKenna West, an Alaskan surrogate, refused the intended parents’ request to abort him.

McKenna says the intended parents, a California couple now identified as Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, told her to abort the baby after he was diagnosed with a serious but treatable heart condition. The heart defect was discovered at McKenna’s 20-week ultrasound.

McKenna refused and instead traveled to Texas, where heart specialists could provide Gabriel with the life-sustaining medical care he would need after birth.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped in on behalf of McKenna and Gabriel, asking a Texas court to issue an emergency order providing special protection for Gabriel as soon as he was born.

The court agreed and issued the order on August 11. Gabriel was born the following day.

But Gabriel’s birth did not end the complicated legal battle — or the moral dilemma surrounding his case.

The intended parents currently have custody of baby Gabriel, whom they call Rumi.

A Texas court has issued a temporary restraining order against McKenna, preventing her from contacting Gabriel. 

McKenna, meanwhile, continues to fight for custody of Gabriel, arguing that because she gave birth to him in the state of Texas, she has parental rights under Texas law.

The next hearing in the custody case is scheduled for August 25.

At the same time, the California couple has filed a lawsuit against McKenna for more than $100,000 for breach of their surrogacy contract — including for failing to abort Gabriel.  

On Monday, Gabriel overcame his first major health hurdle and had his first heart surgery. He could need as many as three over the next several years.

For now, a Texas protection order will keep baby Gabriel in Texas where he can continue receiving care from specialists who can treat his heart condition.

Gabriel’s case continues to expose some of the most troubling realities surrounding commercial IVF and surrogacy.

It seems almost unconscionable that the same two people who were advocating for Gabriel’s death last week now have custody. How can they be trusted with his ongoing care and well-being?

The value of human life is not dependent on ability, diagnosis, dependency or adult expectations. 

Babies are not property. They are human beings with human rights, and they deserve protection under the law.

The Daily Citizen will continue to follow this developing story.

Related articles and resources:

Baby Gabriel Born as Texas Court Issues Order Protecting His Chance at Life

Alaska Surrogate Battles to Keep Baby After Abortion Demand

Perspectives on Surrogate Motherhood

What Does The Bible Say About Surrogacy?

FDA Commissioner Nominee Heidi Overton Boasts Strong Pro-Life Background

President Donald Trump has selected Dr. Heidi Nycole Overton, a highly respected and accomplished White House health policy advisor, to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Her appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. 

Graduating summa cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 2015, Dr. Overton completed her surgical residency at Johns Hopkins. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Investigation from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

You will remember that Dr. Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner in May. At the time, Dr. Makary was reportedly sparring with administration officials over various issues, including the abortion drug mifepristone, as well as the agency’s approval of fruit-flavored vaping products. 

Since Dr. Makary’s resignation, Kyle Diamantas has been serving as acting commissioner. This past year, Dr. Overton has been working within the Trump administration as deputy director/deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump praised his newest nominee:

“Dr. Heidi has been a ROCKSTAR in my Administration, where she has worked directly with Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and team, to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History. She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country.”

Over the years, Dr. Overton has certainly not shied away from the “hard” issue of abortion, which she has strongly and consistently opposed.

In 2022, the FDA Commissioner nominee called the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe “a huge victory for life.” She added, “Human life is not disposable, but a precious gift from God with inherent worth and dignity.” 

Around that same time in a Daily Caller column, Dr. Overton pointed out the hypocrisy of the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services detailing the various stages of human development in pregnancy – and yet still supporting abortion right up to the moment of birth.

“It should be clear where the radicalism lies,” she wrote. “Americans should reject abortion radicalism and require policies informed by 21st century science and medicine. Then, indeed, we would all be ‘Following the Science!’”

In 2023, Dr. Overton co-authored a brief for the America First Policy Institute warning about the “dangerous rise in chemical abortions.” In the opening paragraph, the authors rightly described abortion as being “corrosive to children, women, and society broadly because it devalues and extinguishes innocent human life.”

They concluded:

All administrative and legal proceedings on teleabortion should be monitored, and America First policies should focus on immediately halting the effort to normalize abortion-on-demand and on broadly recognizing the evidence of the risk posed to women. In the upcoming state legislative sessions and the 118th Congress, policymakers should prioritize providing greater protection for the two lives involved—the mother and the baby—especially with safeguards to protect women and children from the dangers of teleabortion.

It’s reassuring that the Trump administration has seen fit to nominate a medical doctor so well grounded in science and an individual with moral clarity when it comes to the sanctity of preborn life.

Given numerous other hot-button issues at play, including the Trump administration’s recent recommendations on childhood vaccines, Dr. Overton’s upcoming confirmation hearings are expected to be contentious. Please join us in praying for wisdom throughout the unfolding and undoubtedly combative process.

Massachusetts Bishops: Eliminating ‘Any Legal Restraint’ on Abortion ‘Gravely Immoral’

The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts warn removing “any legal restraint on late-term abortion” is a “radical measure which is gravely immoral.”

In a letter dated July 29, 2026, Massachusetts’ Catholic bishops spoke out forcefully against the “Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act” (H. 5595), an extreme bill that removed the state’s remaining restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks and permits abortion up until birth.

Governor Maura Healey, who identifies as Catholic and lesbian, signed the bill into law on Monday, August 10. She posted a video of herself signing the legislation on X, surrounded by smiling women applauding the expansion of legalized death for preborn infants.

The advance of H. 5595 through the Massachusetts Legislature prompted the state’s Catholic bishops to speak out.

“As Catholic bishops we have a moral responsibility to present and uphold Catholic teaching and the sacred God-given dignity of every human life from conception to the natural death,” they wrote.

“The … elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgement, a radical measure which is gravely immoral.”

The bishops added,

Life is beautiful! …We reaffirm the Church’s call to its own community and to civil society to provide the resources to welcome and cherish the gift of life, as well as to accompany women and families who have known the tragedy of abortion.

You can read the letter in full below:

Bishops-Statement-on-Late-Term-Abortion-BillDownload

Popular Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, rebuked Gov. Healey’s decision to sign the bill into law.

“Please understand what this [law] means. A fully-formed child, moments before exiting the birth canal, can be eviscerated, chopped into pieces, have its head crushed or skin burned off — all under the full protection of Massachusetts law,” the bishop warned.

He continued:

What I found particularly gross was the reaction of the entirely female crowd around the female governor of Massachusetts as she signed this barbaric provision into law. They were clapping and cackling with delight because what can only be called infanticide can now be practiced with impunity in their state.

CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt has written an open letter to the Massachusetts Catholic bishops asking them whether Gov. Healey’s actions incurred her an automatic excommunication under the Church’s canon law.

From its inception, the Catholic Church has taught that abortion is “gravely contrary to the moral law.”

“Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches.

Whether Gov. Healey’s bishops will take any further action remains unclear. In the meantime, preborn babies in Massachusetts have no legal protections or guarantees for their right to life. That is a great tragedy.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139: 13-15).

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

New Insights on the Dangers of the Abortion Pill

Overcoming Abortion and Becoming a Force for Life

How You Can Join the Pro-Life Movement

Scriptures Advocating For The Pre-Born

The History of Christianity and Abortion

Massachusetts Removes Abortion Restrictions, Allows Abortion Up to Birth

Massachusetts House Passes Bill Legalizing Abortion Until Birth

Photo from Gov. Healey’s Office.

Breaking: Baby Gabriel Born as Texas Court Issues Order Protecting His Chance at Life

There’s a major update in the case of Alaska surrogate McKenna West and baby Gabriel. Baby Gabriel has just been born as a court in Texas orders that he receive life-sustaining medical care.

As previously reported by the Daily Citizen, McKenna has been fighting to save Gabriel’s life after his biological parents told her to abort him when he was diagnosed with a serious but treatable heart condition that requires surgery after birth.   

McKenna refused to get an abortion. 

Now, she’s in Texas and Attorney General Ken Paxton has stepped in to help her and Gabriel. 

On Monday, August 10th, AG Paxton intervened in the case, filing a 58-page brief, requesting the court to grant life-sustaining medical treatment to Gabriel following his birth. 

Tuesday, August 11th, the court granted the request. 

Baby Gabriel was born on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, and has been admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit where he will receive life-sustaining heart surgery at a hospital that has a 100% success rate in performing this procedure.

Under the court order, doctors must provide Gabriel with medically necessary stabilizing and life-saving medical care.

The court also decided that Texas law will govern Gabriel’s protection and medical decision-making. Though it was unwilling to allow Texas law to govern his parentage.

The court appointed a guardian ad litem – a neutral person to protect Gabriel’s interests and represent him in ongoing decision making. 

Importantly, the court held that once Gabriel is born, he cannot be removed from the state of Texas, discharged from the hospital or transferred to another medical facility unless for medical necessary care.

The order also addressed what will happen if someone refuses to consent to treatment that doctors believe Gabriel needs. According to the order, if there is a refusal to consent to medically necessary treatment, the court will hold an emergency hearing within two hours of notification and will determine whether they can override the refusal based on the evidence.

Gabriel’s story highlights one of the most serious problems with commercialized surrogacy and IVF — the disconnect between intentionally creating human life and then accepting that child when things don’t go as planned. 

A baby is not a product that can simply be rejected because of an unexpected diagnosis. 

Gabriel’s life has value regardless of his heart condition. He’s a human being with rights and he deserves to be protected. 

The Daily Citizen will continue to follow this developing story. 

Related articles and resources: 

Alaska Surrogate Battles to Keep Baby After Abortion Demand

Perspectives on Surrogate Motherhood

What Does The Bible Say About Surrogacy?

Why Adoption is Beautiful and Surrogacy Isn’t

Massachusetts Removes Abortion Restrictions, Allows Abortion Up to Birth

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the “Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act,” a radical abortion bill that removed the state’s restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks. State laws allow the killing of an infant in the womb up until birth. 

The Massachusetts Legislature showed its contempt for preborn life as bill H. 5595 was rushed through the legislative process in just nine days, from its introduction on July 22nd to the final vote on July 31st. The measure passed the House by a vote of 121-35 and the Senate by a vote of 15-4.

Governor Healey, who identifies as Catholic and lesbian, posted a video of herself signing the bill – surrounded by smiling women who applauded the death of preborn infants. She wrote, “As long as I’m Governor, abortion will remain safe, legal and accessible in Massachusetts.” 

Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), a Focus on the Family ally, responded with the truth: “Abortion is never safe for the innocent child whose life is being taken!” 

The Catholic Church vehemently opposes the abortion of preborn infants, as many on social media pointed out to the governor.

The church has called abortion a sin from its very beginnings, and Catholic teaching explains the right to life is fundamental and inalienable, calling abortion “a grave moral disorder.” Abortion is a “crime against human life” that merits “the canonical penalty of excommunication.”

Healy also dropped the term many abortion advocates used to espouse, the claim that they desired to make abortion “rare.” 

H. 5595 removed previous state restrictions, including one that required abortions after 24 weeks to only be performed by a physician. It eliminated legal restrictions that allowed third trimester abortions only “if in the best medical judgement of the physician it is”: 

1. Necessary to preserve the life of the patient. 

2. Necessary to preserve the patient’s physical or mental health. 

3. Warranted because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis. 

4. Warranted because of a grave fetal diagnosis that indicates that the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside of the uterus without extraordinary medical interventions.

In abortion laws, phrases like “necessary to preserve the life of the patient” and “necessary to preserve the patient’s physical or mental health” already provide loopholes for women to abort her child past 24 weeks. 

MFI explained more of the legal requirements the Act removed from state law: 

The bill also eliminates the Department of Public Health’s oversight of the policies and protocols that medical facilities use that handle late-term abortions. This removes an important layer of accountability for how a facility conducts a procedure at a stage when a baby is fully viable.
In addition, current law requires late-term abortions to be performed in a hospital — recognition that a procedure this serious, at this stage of pregnancy, demands a hospital’s resources and safeguards. This bill eliminates that requirement. A late-term abortion could legally be performed anywhere a provider chooses, with none of the protections a hospital setting is meant to guarantee.

According to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Massachusetts is now the 12th state with no gestational restrictions on abortion. In addition, 18 states that permit abortion have such broad “health exceptions” that they have virtually no limits on abortion. 

In a post on X, the organization called the legislation “barbaric.” 

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, many Christians thought the issue was settled: Abortion was no longer a “constitutional right.” 

But Dobbs merely turned the issue back to the states and Congress – with legislators and voters deciding the issue. And groups like Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All have spent millions to pass laws keeping the abortion of infants legal – even up to the point of birth. 

We are still engaged in the battle for life. It’s vital that all Christians advocate for life in both culture and policy, support campaigns to restrict abortion, pray for an end to abortion, and support pregnancy resource centers and women who choose life. 

Related articles and resources: 

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

How You Can Join the Pro-Life Movement

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Massachusetts House Passes Bill Legalizing Abortion Until Birth

My Choice Network

New Insights on the Dangers of the Abortion Pill

Overcoming Abortion and Becoming a Force for Life