Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Who Was Kept Alive Due to Georgia Abortion Ban Gives Birth to 1-Lb. Baby
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By Vanessa Etienne
Adriana Smith, who was 10 weeks pregnant, was declared brain dead in February, but kept alive due to Georgia’s strict ban on abortion
After nearly four months on life support, Smith gave birth via emergency c-section
Her mother, April Newkirk — who previously called the experience “torture” — is now preparing to say goodbye and take her daughter off of life support
Nearly four months after she was declared brain dead while pregnant, a Georgia woman has given birth and her family is now preparing to take her off life support.
On February 19, Adriana Smith — a registered nurse from Atlanta — was declared brain dead after suffering multiple blood clots in her brain. She was about nine weeks pregnant at the time.
Following the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, Georgia enacted a ban on abortion after six weeks gestation. According to law, “no abortion shall be performed if the unborn child has a detectable human heartbeat except in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy.”
In the state, “medical emergency” is defined as “a condition in which an abortion is necessary in order to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.”
However, Smith's case is considered a legal gray area and doctors reportedly told her family that because she is brain dead, and no longer considered at risk, they are legally required to maintain life support until the fetus reaches viability.
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Family says woman declared brain dead kept alive because she's pregnant; questions raised about Georgia.
Emory University Hospital.
11Alive/Youtube
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Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, told 11Alive that after nearly four months, her daughter gave birth to a son at 4:41 a.m. on June 13 via emergency Caesarian section. The newborn, named Chance, weighed about 1 lb., 13 oz. and was taken to the NICU.
"He's expected to be OK," she told the outlet. "He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now."
Newkirk said that she is now preparing to say goodbye to her daughter and take her off of life support on Tuesday, June 17.
"It's kind of hard, you know. It's hard to process," she said tearfully, noting that they celebrated Smith’s 31st birthday over the weekend.
"I'm her mother," she continued. "I shouldn't be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me. If I could say one more thing to her, I guess I would tell her that I love her and that she was a great daughter."
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Newkirk previously told the outlet that keeping Smith alive despite her being brain dead was “torture,” especially for her 7-year-old grandson, who believed his mother was “just sleeping.”
“She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,” she said at the time. “It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she’s not there. And her son — I bring him to see her.”
Additionally, Newkirk said they were told that the doctors are not legally allowed to consider other options. She said every woman should have the right to make their own decisions, and if not, the decision should be made by their partner or parents.
Emory Healthcare, which runs the hospital, told the Associated Press that although they cannot comment on an individual case, they considered the state's abortion ban.
"[The hospital] uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia’s abortion laws and all other applicable laws," Emory said in a statement. "Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve.”
Newkirk told 11Alive that they don’t know if they would’ve chosen to end her daughter’s pregnancy, but not being given the choice made the experience more painful.
“She’s pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he’s born,” she told the outlet. “This decision should’ve been left to us. Now we’re left wondering what kind of life he’ll have — and we’re going to be the ones raising him.”
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