Baby Born From Brain-Dead Mom Kept Alive Due to Abortion Ban

Adriana Smith: Pregnant Brain-Dead Woman To Remain Alive To Give Birth — Source: Courtesy of Family / Courtesy Photo

After months of being on life support due to a medical emergency linked to blood clots in her brain, Adriana Smith’s baby boy was delivered via C-section prematurely on Friday, June 13, according to local Atlanta affiliate 11Alive.

But the miracle birth is a bittersweet one, as Smith’s family also has to prepare her funeral.

Speaking with the outlet following the birth of her grandson, Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, provided an update on the baby’s health after weighing in at 1 pound, 13 ounces and being placed in the NICU.

“He’s expected to be OK,” Newkirk shared. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”

Visibly emotional, Newkirk expressed her feelings about saying a final goodbye to her daughter after months on forced life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban.

“It’s kind of hard, you know,” she said of her daughter, who turned 31 years old on June 15. “It’s hard to process. I’m her mother. I shouldn’t be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me.”

“If I could say one more thing to her, I guess I would tell her that I love her and that she was a great daughter,” Newkirk added.

Per Georgia law, most abortions are banned after cardiac activity is detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women even realize they are pregnant.

On February 19, Smith, a nurse, was declared brain dead at eight weeks pregnant. Newkirk said doctors then informed her that due to Georgia’s abortion law, House Bill 481 or the LIFE Act, they were required to keep Smith on life support until the baby could be delivered, according to 11Alive.

However, the LIFE Act does not explicitly address situations involving brain death, which experts say has caused confusion.

The Georgia Attorney General’s Office issued a statement back in May addressing the controversial law.

“There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,” said office spokesperson Kara Murray. “Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.”

“I’m not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I’m saying we should have had a choice,” Newkirk previously told the outlet of her daughter’s right to choose. “I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that.”

“The same field that she worked in is the same people that failed her,” Newkirk said.