The baby born to a surrogate who refused to have an abortion despite the biological parents’ wishes has undergone surgery for the serious heart defect he was born with.
Little Rumi was born Wednesday in Texas after being diagnosed in utero with a rare congenital heart condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), which results from the organ being underdeveloped.
The newborn had “complex palliative heart surgery” on Monday and “is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents,” their attorney told NBC News.
McKenna West, the surrogate mother, had claimed the child’s biological parents wanted her to have an abortion after the diagnosis but she refused, sparking a legal battle.
The couple’s attorney filed a response in an Alaska court alleging West was “clear and knowing in her intention to abide by” their request for termination if such an abnormality was revealed.
The matter drew the attention of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch pro-life advocate running for Senate in the state, who filed a motion ordering the Texas state court to perform the operation, alleging his biological parents might deny the child lifesaving care.
Rumi’s biological parents have denied the accusation, their lawyer accusing Paxton of turning their private family tragedy into “political theater.”
The heart procedure Rumi underwent is known as a Norwood procedure, which the attorney for the biological parents, Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, described as “a complex palliative heart surgery” in a statement to the outlet.
“Rumi is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff,” their attorney Lee Budner said in a statement.
The Norwood procedure is the first of three required operations a baby born with the condition must undergo in the first few years of its life.
“His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery,” Budner said, noting this would be the final update on Rumi’s health his parents make public.
Gilkar and Ahmed said they never would have withheld care for the child, and that they had made arrangements for him to have the surgery in California.
The biological parents said in a court filing viewed by the outlet that they respected West’s choice not to have the abortion.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 925 infants are born each year with HLHS, often requiring lifetime care as many children afflicted with the rare syndrome either do not survive or live with lifelong disabilities.
Budner said West is continuing “baseless” claims for custody of the child, which he said was “in violation of multiple court orders” out of Alaska and California.
“We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi’s parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else,” Budner said.
