A woman who was declared brain dead nearly four months ago but kept alive due to strict abortion laws in Georgia has given birth to a son, while her family prepares to take her off life support.
Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old registered nurse and mother from Atlanta, was around nine weeks pregnant when she began suffering intense headaches in early February.
Despite seeking help at a hospital, her mother says doctors failed her.
“They gave her some medication, but they didn’t do any tests. No CT scan,” said her mother, April Newkirk, to 11Alive.
“If they had done that or kept her overnight, they would have caught it. It could have been prevented.”
A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain. Doctors prepared for emergency surgery, but it was already too late. Adriana was declared brain dead on February 19, per PEOPLE.
Under any other circumstance, the family would have started the grieving process. But due to Georgia’s post-Roe abortion ban – often referred to as the “heartbeat bill”—Adriana’s body was kept alive for more than 90 days.
Georgia’s law prohibits abortion after six weeks of gestation, unless it qualifies as a “medical emergency” or the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile”.
Doctors reportedly told the family that because Adriana was already brain dead – and no longer in physical danger – she didn’t qualify for termination. The fetus had to be carried until viability.
“She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,” Newkirk told the outlet.
“It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she’s not there. And her son — I bring him to see her.”
Her seven-year-old grandson still doesn’t understand. He believes his mother is just sleeping.
“It’s been heartbreaking seeing her grandson believe his mother is ‘just sleeping,’” Newkirk added.
On June 13, at 4:41AM, Adriana gave birth via emergency C-section to a baby boy named Chance. He weighed 1 lb., 13 oz. and was taken to the NICU.
“He’s expected to be OK,” said Newkirk.
“He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”
The birth marked the end of an emotionally shattering chapter – and the beginning of another. Newkirk shared that the family planned to remove Adriana from life support on June 17.
“It’s kind of hard, you know. It’s hard to process,” she said.
“I’m her mother. 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.”
Emory Healthcare, the hospital system treating Adriana, issued a statement saying: “[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.
“Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve.”