The biological parents of a baby boy have publicly explained why they asked their surrogate to terminate the pregnancy, after the surrogate refused and later fled to Texas to give birth. Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed testified in a Dallas court that they turned to surrogacy after Gilkar suffered eight failed rounds of IVF and had to undergo a hysterectomy, calling it "our only option" for having a child. The case has drawn attention because it pits the couple's parental rights against surrogate McKenna West's bid for sole custody, raising questions about surrogacy agreements and medical decision-making during pregnancy.

The couple's son, Rumi, was diagnosed in the womb with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious condition that can be fatal, prompting them to seek a termination under a clause in the surrogacy contract covering "fetal abnormalities." West refused to undergo an amniocentesis that could have clarified the diagnosis, which the couple's lawyer said delayed a crucial open-heart operation after Rumi's birth on 12 August. A California court has already ruled Gilkar and Ahmed the child's sole legal parents, and a Dallas judge has kept a temporary restraining order against West in place while she seeks custody, with a ruling expected within 14 days.