Family of brain dead woman forced to stay on life-support to give birth to child speak out about 'torture'
Warning: This article contains discussion of baby loss and death which some readers may find distressing
A 30-year-old nurse has been put on life-support after being declared brain dead in order to avoid violating a strict abortion law.
Adriana Smith, a mum from Atlanta, Georgia, started experiencing some concerning health issues one day in February of this year.
The American was suddenly experiencing intense headaches, with the mother-of-one seeking medical advice before being given some medication. However, the following morning, her boyfriend woke up to find Adriana making gurgling noises and struggling to breath.
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After being rushed to hospital, a CT scan revealed the worst, showing that she had multiple blood clots in her brain.
Shockingly though, despite doctors confirming the devastating news that it was too late to save her life, Adriana isn't able to be taken off life support due to Georgia's bizarre 'heartbeat bill'.
Having been kept alive on a ventilator for over three months, the hospital ordered for the mother to be kept alive as she is pregnant with a male foetus.
The controversial law, known as the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, means that the baby must be delivered in this situation, via caesarean section, something that is not set to happen until early August.
If Adriana was to be removed from life support, it would violate the state's anti-abortion laws, which prohibits termination after a foetal heartbeat is found, which is at around six weeks.
While the bill details an exception to save the mother's life, it doesn't apply to the 30-year-old, as her life is sadly beyond saving.
The abortion law came into effect following the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, with the legislation stating that no abortion can take place if there is a 'detectable human heartbeat', unless there is a 'medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy'.
Adriana's mother, April Newkirk, spoke to 11Alive about the 'trauma' the family is going under, with her daughter's case currently in a grey area, legally.
Explaining that doctors told her that Adriana would need to be kept alive until the foetus could be delivered, she said: "It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, on a ventilator but she’s not there."
"And her son — I bring him to see her," she added.
The grandmother noted that he thinks his mum is 'just sleeping', as she noted that 'every woman should have the right to make their own decision', if not then their partner and parents should.
While April is unsure if they would have chosen to end her daughter's pregnancy, which is at 21 weeks, but the fact that they don't have a choice is making the situation harder.
The medical bills are also piling up, as the grandmother voiced her worry of the long-term health of her grandson that's on the way.
"My grandson may be blind, may not be able to walk, wheelchair bound, we don't know if he'll live once she has him," she said.
April noted that both her and Adriana's father are in their fifties, and will now been forced to raise another child, along with her daughter's partner.
She added: "I'm not saying that we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy, what I'm saying is we should have had a choice.”
You can donate to Adriana's family's GoFundMe here.
For help, support and advice about abortion, contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on 03457 30 40 30, 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays, and 9.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays.
If you need support and advice following a pregnancy loss, you can contact the Tommy’s team at [email protected]. You can also call them for free on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Joshua Nair