Family Says Pregnant Georgia Woman Declared Brain Dead Is Being Kept Alive Under State Law

Adriana Smith

Family Says Pregnant Georgia Woman Declared Brain Dead Is Being Kept Alive Under State Law

A Georgia family says their 30-year-old relative was declared brain dead, but doctors are legally required to keep her on life support because she’s pregnant.

Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother of one, was nearly nine weeks pregnant in February when she complained of severe headaches. Her mother, April Newkirk, shared that Northside Hospital sent her home without running any scans:

“They gave her some medication, but they didn’t do any tests. No CT scan.”

 

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The next morning, Smith’s boyfriend found her gasping for air. A CT scan later revealed blood clots in her brain. She was declared brain dead and placed on life support.

“She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,” Newkirk said. “It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she’s not there.”

Doctors recently moved Smith to Emory Midtown to continue care until the fetus is viable, as Georgia’s heartbeat law prevents them from ending the pregnancy.

Newkirk believes “every woman should have the right to make their own decision … And if not, then their partner or their parents,” adding that doctors told her the baby has fluid on the brain and “may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he’s born.”

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