Pregnant Woman With Fetal Heart Defect Seeks Legal Protection in Texas

The woman, identified as West, was about 20 weeks pregnant when the baby was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and serious congenital condition where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, Paxton's office said. The intended parents, identified in court documents as Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California, requested West undergo an abortion after learning about the diagnosis. But West refused and traveled to Dallas County, Texas, for protection, the office said, and to ensure that the child, identified in the news release as Gabriel, could be near doctors experienced in treating his condition.

It was scary to think that something might be wrong, and that I may be the one that's not able to make a decision about the treatment, West said in an interview with Live Action, an anti-abortion rights organization. Children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome typically need three surgeries, the first within two weeks of birth, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The second surgery is usually performed at 4 to 6 months, and the third between 18 months and 5 years old.