A pregnant woman has been kept on life support for over three months in order to deliver her child due to the abortion laws in her home state of Georgia.
Why It Matters
Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, also known as the “Heartbeat Bill,” was passed by state lawmakers mostly on party lines in 2019 and signed by Governor Brian Kemp, in most instances banning abortions after six weeks. It officially went into effect in July 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which led to similar laws passed in other states nationwide amid a backlash from pro-abortion advocates.
What To Know
Adriana Smith, 30, a mother and registered nurse from Atlanta, was almost nine weeks pregnant in early February when it was discovered that she had blood clots in her brain, according to WXIA-TV in Atlanta.
Around that time, Smith reportedly began experiencing intense headaches. After attempting to seek treatment at a local hospital, she was soon released and provided medication. According to her mother, April Newkirk, Smith sought treatment at Northside Hospital but was released after being given medication.
“They gave her some medication, but they didn’t do any tests. No CT scan,” April Newkirk, Smith’s mother, told 11Alive. “If they had done that or kept her overnight, they would have caught it. It could have been prevented.”
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Smith then gasped for air in her sleep the following morning, to what her boyfriend compared to gargling noises. He called 911 and medical personnel took her to Emory Decatur prior to transferring her to Emory University Hospital—the latter of where she worked as a nurse.
“They asked me if I would agree to a procedure to relieve the pressure, and I said yes,” Newkirk said. “Then they called me back and said they couldn’t do it.”
Smith was declared brain dead and, as of today, has been hooked to life-saving machines for more than 90 days. While she was moved to Emory Midtown due to their being known for obstetric care, Smith’s family questions the politics of the matter.
Doctors are supposedly waiting until the fetus is at 32 weeks gestation, which is months from now, as Smith is currently 21 weeks pregnant. Doctors have reportedly told her family that under Georgia’s heartbeat law, they are legally required to maintain life support until the fetus reaches viability.
No other legal issues to circumnavigate the law can be sought, either.
Newsweek reached out to Emory Healthcare officials for comment.
Newkirk told WXIA-TV that the decision has caused trauma for their family—both in terms of Smith’s condition and the baby’s health. Doctors have her that the baby, a male, has an unknown amount of fluid on the brain.
“She’s pregnant with my grandson,” Newkirk said. “But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he’s born.”
“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.”
What People Are Saying
Governor Brian Kemp after signing the law in 2019: “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life.”
Kwajelyn Jackson, executive director of Feminist Women’s Health Center, in 2024 after the Georgia Supreme Court ruling: “This ban has wreaked havoc on Georgians’ lives, and our patients deserve better. The state of Georgia has chosen to subject our community to those devastating harms once again, even in light of the deadly consequences we have already witnessed.”
What Happens Next
Last year, Georgia’s Supreme Court reinstated the state’s six-week abortion ban by halting a ruling from a trial court judge that struck down the law.
In February of this year, the Georgia Supreme Court vacated that lower court’s ruling, which could force challengers to the state’s abortion law to potentially start over in their legal battle.
