Latest news with #LIFEAct
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Adriana Smith, brain-dead Georgian mother who gave birth to a son, to be taken off life support
Adriana Smith, a brain dead woman who gave birth to her son, would be removed from life support soon. Adriana Smith was a nurse from metro Atlanta. She was declared brain dead on Feb 19, when she was 8 weeks pregnant, reports said. The cause of death was blood clots in her brain after she had a bad headache and went to the hospital. The hospital sent her home, and within hours, she became unresponsive. Her family says the doctors later told them she had suffered blood clots and was brain dead. Birth of baby Chance On June 13 at 4:41 AM, Adriana's baby boy was born via emergency C-section. The baby's name is Chance and he was born prematurely. He was born very small, just 1 pound 13 ounces, and is now in the NICU. The family says he's still fighting but should be okay, as per the report by 11Alive. Adriana has been on life support for almost 4 months. The hospital plans to remove life support on Tuesday, as confirmed by her mom. Her mom said it's really hard to accept and she wishes she had more time with her. The family celebrated Adriana's 31st birthday recently. People across the country noticed Adriana's case because of Georgia's abortion law (House Bill 481 / LIFE Act). The law stops most abortions after a heartbeat is found but doesn't say what to do if the mom is brain dead. Doctors told the family they had to keep Adriana on life support because of the law, as per the report by 11Alive. Live Events But in May, the Georgia Attorney General's Office clarified that nothing in the law forces hospitals to keep brain-dead pregnant women on machines. Emory Healthcare, where she was treated, hasn't explained its decision in detail, only that it considered Georgia's abortion law and other laws, as per the report by AP. State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes called the legal confusion 'life and death contradictions.' Adriana's mom said the family should have had a choice about her daughter's treatment. She said they may not have ended the pregnancy, but they still wanted the right to decide. She added, 'All women should have a choice about their body.' Adriana as a person Adriana was a nurse who loved her job. Her mom said the medical system that she worked in also let her down. Adriana was a caring mom to her 7-year-old son. He thinks she's just been sleeping. The family hasn't told him yet that he has a baby brother, as per the reports. Adriana was kind, smart, caring, loved traveling, and wanted to study more. Some of her old patients even said she was a great nurse. The family is raising money online to support both children and cover hospital costs. Adriana's mom said, 'This hit us really, really hard' and asked for prayers and privacy, as per the report by 11Alive. FAQs Q1. Who was Adriana Smith? She was a pregnant nurse in Georgia who became brain dead and stayed on life support until her baby was born. Q2. Why didn't they turn off her life support? Doctors were confused by Georgia's abortion law and thought they had to keep her on it.
Black America Web
2 days ago
- Health
- Black America Web
Adriana Smith, Brain-Dead Georgia Mom On Life Support, Gives Birth Via C-Section
Source: Courtesy of Family / Courtesy Photo After months of being on life support due to a medical emergency linked to blood clots in her brain, Adriana Smith's baby boy was delivered via C-section prematurely on Friday, June 13, according to local Atlanta affiliate 11Alive. But the miracle birth is a bittersweet one, as Smith's family also has to prepare her funeral. Speaking with the outlet following the birth of her grandson, Smith's mother, April Newkirk, provided an update on the baby's health after weighing in at 1 pound, 13 ounces and being placed in the NICU. 'He's expected to be OK,' Newkirk shared. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now.' Visibly emotional, Newkirk expressed her feelings about saying a final goodbye to her daughter after months on forced life support due to Georgia's abortion ban. 'It's kind of hard, you know,' she said of her daughter, who turned 31 years old on June 15. 'It's hard to process. 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,' Newkirk added. Per Georgia law, most abortions are banned after cardiac activity is detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women even realize they are pregnant. On February 19, Smith, a nurse, was declared brain dead at eight weeks pregnant. Newkirk said doctors then informed her that due to Georgia's abortion law, House Bill 481 or the LIFE Act, they were required to keep Smith on life support until the baby could be delivered, according to 11Alive. However, the LIFE Act does not explicitly address situations involving brain death, which experts say has caused confusion. The Georgia Attorney General's Office issued a statement back in May addressing the controversial law. 'There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,' said office spokesperson Kara Murray. 'Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.' 'I'm not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I'm saying we should have had a choice,' Newkirk previously told the outlet of her daughter's right to choose. 'I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that.' 'The same field that she worked in is the same people that failed her,' Newkirk said. SEE ALSO Adriana Smith, Brain-Dead Georgia Mom On Life Support, Gives Birth Via C-Section was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Who is Adriana Smith? Georgia's brain dead woman gives birth amid abortion law controversy, ‘He's just fighting'
Adriana Smith, a woman from Georgia who was compelled to bear a child, gave birth after months of being brain dead. She is now anticipated to be taken off life support. According to her family, the baby was delivered on Friday. Smith's mother, April Newkirk, informed Atlanta's NBC station WXIA that the baby, Chance, was delivered via emergency cesarean section due to preterm birth. According to her, the infant is in the neonatal intensive care unit and weighs around one pound, thirteen ounces. 'He's expected to be OK,' she informed the broadcaster. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him.' Smith is also a mother to an elder son. In a previous interview, she told WXIA that the LIFE Act, the state's nearly complete restriction on abortion, forced the family to keep Smith alive. The Smith's family, who celebrated her 31st birthday on Sunday, stated that she was sent to the hospital in February after first seeking treatment for excruciating headaches. Also Read: Tyler Perry reacts to Derek Dixon's bombshell $260mn lawsuit allegations; Here's what he said In 2019, Governor Brian Kemp signed the 'Heartbeat Bill,' also known as the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, after it was passed by state lawmakers primarily along party lines. It generally outlawed abortions after six weeks. After the US Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in July 2022, it formally entered into force. In response to a reaction from pro-abortion activists, similar laws were enacted in other states around the country. According to Newkirk, Smith was first admitted to Northside Hospital but was later discharged after receiving treatment. However, the hospital performed no tests or scans. Smith's boyfriend saw her gasping for air and making gargling noises when he woke up the day after she sought treatment, Newkirk told WXIA. A CT scan revealed many blood clots in Smith's brain after she was taken to Emory Decatur Hospital and then moved to Emory University Hospital, according to the station. Newkirk informed that her daughter was put on a ventilator after being deemed brain dead. Smith will be removed from life support on Tuesday, she said. 'It's kind of hard, you know,' she said to the station. 'It's hard to process.'
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
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'.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Brain dead, pregnant Atlanta nurse kept on life support to grow fetus gives birth to 1lb 13oz preemie named Chance: ‘He's just fighting'
A pregnant woman who has been brain dead since February — and kept alive via life support in order to comply with Georgia's abortion law — gave birth prematurely to a baby boy, ending the months-long medical and ethical ordeal at an Atlanta hospital. Atlanta nurse Adriana Smith, 31, gave birth on June 13, three months premature via C-section, to a baby who weighs 1 pound 13 ounces and is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital Midtown, according to local reports. Smith's family members named the baby Chance and hope he'll get a fighting one himself. Advertisement 5 Adriana Smith gave birth prematurely to a baby boy while brain-dead. GoFundMe 'He's expected to be OK,' Smith's mother April Newkirk told local outlet 11 Alive. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now.' Advertisement Newkirk previously told the press that the boy could be born with a variety of health problems and that the family is hoping his name brings him good fortune, according to reports. As the grandmother prays for her grandbaby's tenuous health, Newkirk's daughter Adriana Smith, who turned 31 over the weekend, will finally be taken off of life support, the outlet reported. 'It's kind of hard, you know. It's hard to process,' she said tearfully. 5 Smith gave birth on June 13, three months premature via C-section, to a baby who weighs 1 pound 13 ounces and is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital Midtown. GoFundMe Advertisement Smith entered herself into Emory University Hospital, where she worked as a nurse, in February, with severe headaches. At the time, she was nine weeks pregnant. She was discharged from the hospital with medication, but soon returned due to the intensity of the headaches. A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain. Her health deteriorated while at the hospital, where, within hours, she was declared brain dead. Smith was then moved to Emory Midtown, where doctors have utilized life-supporting technologies to keep her alive to be in compliance with the state of Georgia's LIFE Act, commonly referred to as the 'heartbeat bill.' Advertisement 5 Smith entered herself into Emory University Hospital, where she worked as a nurse, in February, with severe headaches. At the time, she was nine weeks pregnant. GoFundMe That law bans any abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and provides fetuses with full legal rights and protections. Newkirk said that doctors had told the family that Smith was being kept alive to maintain compliance with the law, according to The Guardian. 'We didn't have a choice or a say about it,' she said before Chance's birth. 'We want the baby. That's a part of my daughter. But the decision should have been left to us – not the state.' Many believed that Chance would not survive due to the circumstances of his gestation, which further impelled critics of the pro-life policy. 5 Smith was then moved to Emory Midtown, where doctors have utilized life-supporting technologies to keep her alive to be in compliance with the state of Georgia's LIFE Act, commonly referred to as the 'heartbeat bill.' GoFundMe 'The chances of there being a healthy newborn at the end of this is very, very small,' Steve Ralston, director of the maternal fetal medicine division at George Washington University, told The Washington Post. The hospital's decision to keep Smith alive drew heavy criticism from pro-choice advocates who claimed the dizzying ethical conundrum and extreme heartache are a result of bad legislation. Advertisement 'Because of Georgia's cruel abortion ban, Adriana Smith's family is living through a nightmare,' Reproductive Freedom For All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement in May. 5 Smith gave birth at Emory University Hospital Midtown. REUTERS 'Families deserve the freedom to make their own decision about their loved ones, and prolonging their suffering isn't just horrible policy; it's inhumane. Anti-abortion politicians, including Donald Trump and Governor Kemp, need to be held accountable,' the statement concluded. State representatives also weighed in as the controversy reached its peak. Advertisement 'This is not healthcare. This is sanctioned cruelty,' State Democrat Rep. Kim Schofield said in a statement. The hospital has not publicly commented on the case, citing patient privacy laws. Smith, who also has a 7-year-old son, was due to be taken off life support on Tuesday, 11 Alive reported.
