{"id":29055,"date":"2025-06-18T16:24:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=29055"},"modified":"2025-06-18T16:24:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:24:56","slug":"adriana-smith-pregnant-woman-declared-brain-dead-delivers-her-baby-updates-from-her-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=29055","title":{"rendered":"Adriana Smith, Pregnant Woman Declared Brain Dead, Delivers Her Baby \u2013 Updates from Her Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Georgia family’s months-long struggle surrounding a critically ill pregnant woman has taken a profound turn, deepening both their personal loss and a broader legal debate.<\/p>\n

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Adriana Smith, a metro Atlanta nurse who was declared brain dead in February, has delivered her baby boy. Her family confirmed that the infant, named Chance, was born prematurely by emergency Cesarean section on Friday, June 13, at 4:41 a.m.<\/p>\n

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\"Adriana<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Adriana Smith’s mom, April Newkirk, shares her grief in a video interview, dated June 17, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/11Alive<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Chance, who weighs about 1 pound 13 ounces, is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “He’s expected to be OK,”\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0Smith’s mother, April Newkirk. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Newkirk shared that Smith will be taken off life support on Tuesday, June 17. “It’s kind of hard, you know. It’s hard to process.” Fighting back tears, she\u00a0added<\/a>, “I’m her mother. I shouldn’t be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"April<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

April Newkirk relates her heartbreaking ordeal in a video interview, dated June 11, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/11Alive<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Smith, whose loved ones celebrated her 31st birthday over the weekend, had been on life support for nearly four months. According to her mother, she was nearly nine weeks pregnant in early February when she began experiencing severe headaches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She sought help at Northside Hospital but was discharged after being given medication. “They gave her some medication, but they didn’t do any tests. No CT scan,” Newkirk\u00a0explained<\/a>. “If they had done that or kept her overnight, they would have caught it. It could have been prevented.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Adriana<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Adriana Smith’s mom, April Newkirk, explains what her daughter went through, as seen in a video interview, dated June 17, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/11Alive<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The next morning, Smith’s boyfriend found her gasping in her sleep. He called 911. Smith was taken to Emory Decatur and later transferred to Emory University Hospital, where she worked. A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Newkirk said she\u00a0consented to a procedure<\/a>\u00a0to relieve the pressure, but was later informed it couldn’t be performed. Smith was declared brain dead on February 19. Her son, who is seven years old, has been at her side throughout and still believes she is only sleeping.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Doctors initially planned to deliver the baby at 32 weeks. However, the emergency C-section was required earlier due to complications. Newkirk stated the family is now trying to support both children and navigate the emotional impact of the last few months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Adriana<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Adriana Smith is seen with her son in a photo shared on the fundraising page | Source: gofundme<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Smith’s case drew national attention for its legal implications. Her family revealed that the doctors told them they were obligated to keep her on life support\u00a0due to Georgia’s abortion law<\/a>, House Bill 481, also known as the LIFE Act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Passed in 2019 and\u00a0enacted after Roe v. Wade<\/a>\u00a0was overturned, the law bans most abortions once cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks into pregnancy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although the law permits abortion to protect the life or physical health of the pregnant woman, it does not explicitly cover cases involving brain death. Georgia is among several states with similar early-term abortion bans. Twelve others ban abortion entirely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Adriana<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Adriana Smith is seen in a photo shared on her fundraising page | Source: gofundme<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a statement issued in May, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office clarified the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,”\u00a0stated<\/a>\u00a0spokesperson Kara Murray. “Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite that clarification, confusion persists. Emory Healthcare has only\u00a0mentioned<\/a>\u00a0that it made its decision based on “Georgia’s abortion laws and all other applicable laws.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Legal experts, including law professor David S. Cohen of Drexel University, say the law’s definition of fetal personhood may have influenced the hospital’s actions. Cohen noted that Smith and the fetus may have been considered separate patients once she was placed on life support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Adriana<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Adriana Smith is seen with her mother, April Newkirk, in a photo shared on her fundraising page | Source: gofundme<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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State Representative Nabilah Islam Parkes, an Atlanta-area Democrat,\u00a0recently sent a letter<\/a>\u00a0to the state attorney general requesting a formal opinion on how Georgia\u2019s abortion laws apply to brain-dead pregnant women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She has publicly\u00a0declared<\/a>, “These are not small contradictions. These are life and death contradictions.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Newkirk has voiced frustration about how the law impacted their ability to make medical decisions. “I’m not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I’m saying we should have had a choice,” she\u00a0expressed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After the birth, she maintained that view,\u00a0saying<\/a>, “I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smith, a registered nurse, was passionate about her profession. “The same field that she worked in is the same people that failed her,” Newkirk\u00a0lamented<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"April<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

April Newkirk shares her thoughts in a video interview, dated June 17, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/11Alive<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Describing her daughter, Newkirk\u00a0shared<\/a>\u00a0that Smith was deeply involved in her older son’s life. “She loved to travel, she loved her family. She’s a good mom. And she wanted to advance her education. She loved people.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She\u00a0added<\/a>\u00a0that messages from former patients have underscored Smith’s impact. “Someone wrote me on Facebook, said that she took care of them … (during a) lung transplant and she was amazing. And even after she wasn’t their nurse, she still continued to check on them.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smith’s family continues to raise funds through a\u00a0GoFundMe<\/a>\u00a0campaign organized by Newkirk to cover medical expenses and long-term care for her children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The fundraiser\u00a0describes<\/a>\u00a0the situation as one where the family had “no say” due to the state’s abortion law and highlights their ongoing financial and emotional strain. More than $206,000 has been raised toward a $275,000 goal so far, with more donations expected to pour in soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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