Brain dead woman kept alive for months due to abortion ban
An Atlanta woman who was just nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead nearly three months ago is being kept alive due to the State's abortion ban.
In early February, 30-year-old nurse Adriana Smith was experiencing intense headaches and visited a local hospital to get checked over.
Her family said no scans were performed, and she was told to go home.
Just hours later, Ms Smith's partner found her struggling to breathe and making gurgling noises while she slept.
She was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered blood clots in her brain.
Before doctors could perform surgery, Ms Smith was declared brain dead.
Despite no chance of recovery, Ms Smith has been kept alive for more than 90 days so she can carry the baby to full term. Despite no chance of recovery, Ms Smith has been kept alive for more than 90 days so she can carry the baby to full term. Credit: Supplied
Under Georgia's 2019 Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act, doctors cannot perform an abortion if a heartbeat is detected.
Ms Smith's mother, April Newkirk, is speaking out about the situation, saying it has been 'torture' to see her daughter like this.
'She's been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,' Ms Newkirk said.
'It's torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there.'
Ms Newkirk said she believed her grandbaby thought his mum was just sleeping.
It's understood doctors want to keep Ms Smith alive for another 11 weeks until she reaches 32 weeks in her pregnancy but her mum said that decision will cause a lot of trauma for the family.
'She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born,' Ms Newkirk said.
'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.'
'They're hoping to get the baby to at least 32 weeks. But every day that goes by, it's more cost, more trauma, more questions.'
Ms Newkirk believes the law should change and every woman should have the right to make their own decisions about their body.
'And if not, then their partner or their parents (should be able to make the decision),' Ms Newkirk said.
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5 days ago
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Baby of brain-dead US woman Adriana Smith kept alive under Georgia abortion law delivered
The baby of Adriana Smith, a brain-dead pregnant woman in the US who has been kept alive by ventilators under Georgia's abortion law, has been delivered. The baby, named Chance, was born prematurely via emergency cesarean section on Friday, Smith's mother April Newkirk said. Chance weighed about one pound 13 ounces (822g) and is in the neonatal intensive care unit. 'He's expected to be OK,' Newkirk said. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him.' Smith also has an older son. Newkirk did not immediately respond to a new request for comment. She previously said the family was required to keep Smith alive under the state's near-total abortion ban, known as the LIFE Act. Smith, whose family celebrated her 31st birthday on Sunday, has been hospitalised since February after she initially sought treatment for severe headaches, her family has said. Newkirk said Smith initially went to Northside Hospital but was released and given medication. She said the hospital did not run any scans or tests. Northside did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. A day after she sought treatment, Smith's boyfriend woke to find her gasping for air and making gargling noises, Newkirk said. Smith was rushed to Emory Decatur Hospital and transferred to Emory University Hospital, where a CT scan showed multiple blood clots in her brain. Newkirk said her daughter was declared brain-dead and placed on a ventilator. Smith will be taken off life support on Tuesday, local time. 'It's kind of hard, you know,' she said. 'It's hard to process.' In Georgia, abortions are illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions include some situations to protect women's lives and health, when fetal anomalies are detected and in cases of rape and incest that have been documented with police. The state Attorney General's Office said in May that nothing in the LIFE Act 'requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death'. The office said removing a patient from life support 'is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy'. However, Republican state senator Ed Setzler, who sponsored the 2019 law, told The Associated Press that he supported the hospital's actions. 'I think it is completely appropriate that the hospital do what they can to save the life of the child,' he said. 'I think this is an unusual circumstance, but I think it highlights the value of innocent human life. 'I think the hospital is acting appropriately.' Emory Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson said in a statement last month that it 'uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualised treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws'.
7NEWS
22-05-2025
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Georgia mother says she is being forced to keep brain-dead pregnant daughter alive under abortion ban law
A pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain-dead is being kept alive by ventilators because of the state's law banning abortions, the woman's mother says, telling local news that the family has no say in the matter. April Newkirk said her 30-year-old daughter, Adriana Smith, began experiencing intense headaches in early February. Smith was nine weeks pregnant at the time with her second child, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV of Atlanta reported. Smith sought treatment at Northside Hospital but was released and given medication, Newkirk said, claiming the hospital did not run any tests or scans. Northside did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A day after seeking treatment, Smith's boyfriend woke up to find her gasping for air and making gargling noises, Newkirk told WXIA. Smith was rushed to Emory Decatur and then transferred to Emory University Hospital, where a CT scan showed multiple blood clots in her brain, the news station reported. Newkirk said that her daughter was declared brain-dead and has 'been breathing through machines for more than 90 days'. 'It's torture for me,' she said. 'I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there.' Newkirk declined an interview when contacted by NBC News. According to WXIA, the plan is to keep Smith alive until the baby boy can safely survive on his own, most likely at 32 weeks. Republican governor Brian Kemp signed the state's near-total abortion ban, known as the LIFE Act, in 2019, but it didn't take effect until 2022, after it faced a legal challenge and the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade. Under the law, abortions are illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions include some situations to protect the woman's life and health, when foetal anomalies are detected, and in cases of rape and incest that have been documented with police. Newkirk told the station that her daughter is currently 21 weeks pregnant. 'It should have been left up to the family,' Newkirk said, telling the station that doctors informed the family they are legally not allowed to consider any other options. 'I'm not saying that we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy, but what I'm saying is, we should have had a choice,' she said. A spokesperson for Emory Healthcare said it 'uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualised 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,' the spokesperson said. Monica Simpson, executive director of the organisation SisterSong, said the first issue with Smith's case is that she did not receive proper care when she sought help for her headaches. The situation the family is in now raises another issue, the grey area with the state's abortion ban, Simpson said in a phone call Thursday. The ban creates 'this type of uncertainty for medical care providers, it creates this type of uncertainty for folks who are coming up against it,' Simpson said. 'It's not black and white,' she added. 'There's, unfortunately, these grey areas that our elected officials, our state, our governor did not take into consideration when moving this ban into play. What we've seen … is that there are grey areas and that's where the danger comes in.' Newkirk said the family is also having to deal with the financial responsibility of keeping Smith on life support, with a GoFundMe set up to help cover costs.
Perth Now
15-05-2025
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Brain dead woman kept alive for months due to abortion ban
An Atlanta woman who was just nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead nearly three months ago is being kept alive due to the State's abortion ban. In early February, 30-year-old nurse Adriana Smith was experiencing intense headaches and visited a local hospital to get checked over. Her family said no scans were performed, and she was told to go home. Just hours later, Ms Smith's partner found her struggling to breathe and making gurgling noises while she slept. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered blood clots in her brain. Before doctors could perform surgery, Ms Smith was declared brain dead. Despite no chance of recovery, Ms Smith has been kept alive for more than 90 days so she can carry the baby to full term. Despite no chance of recovery, Ms Smith has been kept alive for more than 90 days so she can carry the baby to full term. Credit: Supplied Under Georgia's 2019 Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act, doctors cannot perform an abortion if a heartbeat is detected. Ms Smith's mother, April Newkirk, is speaking out about the situation, saying it has been 'torture' to see her daughter like this. 'She's been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,' Ms Newkirk said. 'It's torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there.' Ms Newkirk said she believed her grandbaby thought his mum was just sleeping. It's understood doctors want to keep Ms Smith alive for another 11 weeks until she reaches 32 weeks in her pregnancy but her mum said that decision will cause a lot of trauma for the family. 'She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born,' Ms Newkirk said. '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.' 'They're hoping to get the baby to at least 32 weeks. But every day that goes by, it's more cost, more trauma, more questions.' Ms Newkirk believes the law should change and every woman should have the right to make their own decisions about their body. 'And if not, then their partner or their parents (should be able to make the decision),' Ms Newkirk said.
