Brain-Dead Woman's Baby Delivered After Abortion Law Forced Her Kept Alive

A Georgia woman who was forced to carry a child for months while brain-dead gave birth to the baby. She is now expected to be removed from life support.

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, gave birth in the early morning hours of June 13 to a baby boy named Chance, according to local NBC affiliate WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

Chance was born prematurely by an emergency Cesarean section and, according to Smith's mother, April Newkirk, weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

"He's expected to be OK," Newkirk told WXIA. "He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now."

Following multiple medical episodes in February, Smith—who was about nine weeks pregnant at the time—was ultimately diagnosed with blood clots.

She spent roughly 120 days being hooked to machines to stay alive so she could deliver the child, per state law and until the fetus reaches viability. She is located at Emory Midtown.

On Monday evening, An Emory spokesperson provided a statement to Newsweek that said: "The top priorities at Emory Healthcare continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients and families we serve. Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature and legal guidance to support our providers as they make medical recommendations. Emory Healthcare is legally required to maintain the confidentiality of the protected health information of our patients, which is why we are unable to comment on individual matters and circumstances."

On Tuesday, Smith is expected to be taken off life support, according to her mother.

"It's kind of hard, you know," Newkirk said. "It's hard to process.... I'm her mother. I shouldn't be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me."

Doctors were initially reported to be waiting until the fetus was at about 32 weeks' gestation. Smith was roughly 21 weeks pregnant in mid-May.

What People Are Saying

Arisha Hatch, interim executive director of national women-led gender-justice organization UltraViolet, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "Adriana Smith's family should have had a choice. Her mother was clear that she wanted to make the decision about whether her daughter's body should be kept on life support. But Georgia doctors and legislators failed Adriana and her family. The state's extreme, dehumanizing abortion ban and the hospital administrators' unwillingness to challenge it kept her body alive on life support—solely because she was pregnant—regardless of the family's wishes."

Kara Murray, spokesperson for the Georgia Attorney General's Office, in a statement about state law and Smith's situation: "There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death. Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy."

April Newkirk to WXIA-TV: "I'm not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I'm saying we should have had a choice. ... I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that."

What Happens Next

Smith also has a 7-year-old son who reportedly believes his mother has been asleep for the past few months. Newkirk said the family will eventually share the news with him about his new brother and his mom's condition.

Updated 6/18/25, 10:38 a.m. ET: This story was updated with remarks from Emory Health and Arisha Hatch.