Family powerless as brain-dead pregnant woman kept alive in US
Shortly afterward, Adriana was declared brain-dead. Despite her condition, Georgia's 'heartbeat' abortion law requires that she remain on life support to carry the foetus, now around 22 weeks, to term.
The law which was signed by governor Brian Kemp in 2019, bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks and well before many women even realise they are pregnant.
While the law includes limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, it does not explicitly address scenarios where the mother is already legally brain-dead.
'It's torture for me. I come here and I see my daughter breathing on the ventilator. She's not there, and I'm touching her,' said Newkirk.
Newkirk said she continues to bring Adriana's young son to visit her. She voiced concern about the baby's future health, as doctors warn that the foetus may suffer severe complications due to Adriana's condition and the lack of oxygen during the trauma.
'She's pregnant with my grandson, but my grandson may be blind, may not be able to walk, may be wheelchair bound. We don't know if he'll live once she has him,' she said.
For Newkirk, the most heartbreaking part is not just her daughter's condition but the loss of agency over Adriana's care.
'It should have been left up to the family. I'm in my 50s. Her dad is in his 50s. We're going to have the responsibility with her partner to raise her sons,' she said. 'I'm not saying that we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. What I'm saying is we should have had a choice,' she said.
Georgia is one of several states that enacted restrictive abortion bans after the US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade. The state has at least 11 abortion providers, according to the National Abortion Federation. Similar 'heartbeat bills' have been passed in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Ohio.
This case has ignited renewed debate over abortion rights, patient autonomy and how states interpret medical decisions in cases involving brain death and pregnancy. Advocates warn that laws like Georgia's fail to account for the complexities of real-life medical crises.
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