Texas: Paxton protects baby Gabriel's life in the face of pressure to terminate pregnancy

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton succeeded in protecting the life of Gabriel, a baby who is about to be born via surrogacy and who suffers from a heart condition that requires surgery immediately after birth.

The intended parents allegedly demanded that the surrogate terminate the pregnancy when Gabriel was diagnosed with left ventricular hypoplasia syndrome, a severe congenital heart defect that prevents the heart from properly pumping blood to the body.

In a statement, the Texas Attorney General's Office reported that it obtained a court order to provide "life-saving medical care" to Gabriel as soon as he is born, prohibiting "anyone from withholding or obstructing necessary treatment or removing, discharging, or transferring the child while the court considers the case."

UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dallas Children's Medical Center, where Gabriel will be treated, have already been notified of the ruling.

"My office utilized every tool at our disposal to protect life, and we will not back down in continuing to support baby Gabriel’s well-being. Every child in our state deserves to be cared for and protected, and that’s exactly what I’ll fight for," said Attorney General Paxton.

When Gabriel was diagnosed with this condition, the intended parents, who reside in California, allegedly pressured the surrogate to have an abortion. She refused and decided to travel to Texas in search of the protection she needed to avoid being forced to comply with the parents' decision and to ensure the baby could be born and undergo surgery for his heart condition.