Brain dead woman, Adriana Smith gives birth to premature baby after Georgia state law banned the woman on life support from having an abortion, reigniting debate over that state’s restrictive abortion laws and other states who also ban abortions.
A brain dead woman kept on life support in Georgia because of that state’s law banning abortion gave birth to a one pound baby boy on Friday, June 13th. Doctors have since signed off on the woman to be taken off life support on June 17th.
Nurse Adriana Smith, 31, was declared brain dead after a sudden health emergency in February when she was about eight weeks pregnant, according to 11Alive.
Newborn baby may be left with life threatening complications after brain dead mom was forced to carry pregnancy
Hospital officials told the family at the time that they could not remove Smith from her life support due to state law that bans most abortions after six weeks, the outlet reported.
Chance, the woman’s newborn baby boy, who was born prematurely weighing only 1 pound, 13 ounces was now in neonatal intensive care according to Smith’s mother, April Newkirk.
‘He’s expected to be OK,’ Newkirk told 11Alive. ‘He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.’
Newkirk previously said that her grandson may be blind, unable to walk or even struggle to survive because of the complications of her daughter’s health.
Newkirk said that the family may not necessarily have chosen to terminate Smith’s pregnancy, but she said the family should have been the ones to make the decision and not the state.
Doctors planned the delivery at 32 weeks gestation, Newkirk said, but they had to do an emergency cesarean section.
Adriana Smith may you now rest peacefully. You, your body, nor your child deserved the callous mishandling you endured. Even in death, you had a right to dignity and respect, which was stripped away for political and experimental gain. Your sacrifice won’t be forgotten.
— N a e™💋♐ 12/17 (@shwtybadd_) June 17, 2025
Brain dead woman’s birth of baby re-ignites debate over Georgia ‘restrictive’ abortion ban
The brain dead woman’s case re-ignited debate over how restrictive abortion laws can cause confusion for medical professionals seeking to care for patients’ health while toeing the line of the legislation.
Georgia passed a ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy in November 2022. The law has limited exceptions, including medical emergencies or cases where the pregnancy is ‘medically futile,’ and cases of rape or incest when a police report has been filed and the fetus is less than 20 weeks.
The law, known as the ‘heartbeat law’ and formally called the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, has faced its fair share of controversy and legal challenges. It was introduced in 2019 but not enacted until after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Georgia’s law has led to stories of women in medical peril as doctors try to follow the letter of the law and deliver critical care. Avery Davis Bell one such woman previously told of having life-saving care delayed after she hemorrhaged while miscarrying in her second trimester of pregnancy because doctors said a dilation and evacuation procedure had to wait until her life was more at risk.
Adriana Smith was scheduled to be removed from life support at 2 p.m. local time on June 17.
