Latest news with #LIFE)Act
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Who is Adriana Smith? Georgia's brain dead woman gives birth amid abortion law controversy, ‘He's just fighting'
Adriana Smith, a woman from Georgia who was compelled to bear a child, gave birth after months of being brain dead. She is now anticipated to be taken off life support. According to her family, the baby was delivered on Friday. Smith's mother, April Newkirk, informed Atlanta's NBC station WXIA that the baby, Chance, was delivered via emergency cesarean section due to preterm birth. According to her, the infant is in the neonatal intensive care unit and weighs around one pound, thirteen ounces. 'He's expected to be OK,' she informed the broadcaster. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him.' Smith is also a mother to an elder son. In a previous interview, she told WXIA that the LIFE Act, the state's nearly complete restriction on abortion, forced the family to keep Smith alive. The Smith's family, who celebrated her 31st birthday on Sunday, stated that she was sent to the hospital in February after first seeking treatment for excruciating headaches. Also Read: Tyler Perry reacts to Derek Dixon's bombshell $260mn lawsuit allegations; Here's what he said In 2019, Governor Brian Kemp signed the 'Heartbeat Bill,' also known as the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, after it was passed by state lawmakers primarily along party lines. It generally outlawed abortions after six weeks. After the US Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in July 2022, it formally entered into force. In response to a reaction from pro-abortion activists, similar laws were enacted in other states around the country. According to Newkirk, Smith was first admitted to Northside Hospital but was later discharged after receiving treatment. However, the hospital performed no tests or scans. Smith's boyfriend saw her gasping for air and making gargling noises when he woke up the day after she sought treatment, Newkirk told WXIA. A CT scan revealed many blood clots in Smith's brain after she was taken to Emory Decatur Hospital and then moved to Emory University Hospital, according to the station. Newkirk informed that her daughter was put on a ventilator after being deemed brain dead. Smith will be removed from life support on Tuesday, she said. 'It's kind of hard, you know,' she said to the station. 'It's hard to process.'
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Brain-dead pregnant mum's ‘corpse' kept alive by doctors GIVES BIRTH after family had begged for her to be left to die
A BRAIN-dead mum's baby has been delivered after her family's torturous struggle with doctors to switch off her life support. Adriana Smith, 31, was nine weeks pregnant when Advertisement 5 Adriana Smith was nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead Credit: GoFundMe 5 Her mum, April Newkirk, said the last few months have been torturous Credit: Reuters 5 The 31-year-old was kept on life support because of Georgia's abortion laws Credit: GoFundMe But despite her family 's plea to end her life, doctors said she couldn't be taken off life-support due to Georgia 's ban on abortion. After months of agony, her baby, named Chance, was born prematurely on Friday. The little boy is being kept in the neonatal intensive care unit. Adriana's mum, April Newkirk, told local news: "He's expected to be OK. He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him." Advertisement Read more on World The boy's birth comes amid mounting fears he would be born with severe disabilities because of his mum's health complications. Just a couple months ago, April revealed how the foetus had hydrocephalus, otherwise known as fluid on the brain. She said at the time: "He may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born. "Right now, the journey is for baby Chance to survive. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Warning "Whatever condition God allows him to come here in, we're going to love him just the same." Tragic discovery Adriana Smith, 30, was nine weeks pregnant when she went to hospital in Georgia seeking treatment for agonising headaches three months ago. Love Island star reveals heartbreaking decision to have abortion just seven months after giving birth The Adriana woke up the next day with a shortness of breath and making gargling sounds, with the hospital later discovering she had blood clots in her brain. Advertisement After unsuccessful surgery to relieve the pressure they were causing, Adriana was tragically declared brain-dead. The nurse has a seven-year-old son who is now without his mum, leaving Adriana's already-grieving family devastated. But the already-harrowing circumstances turned into "an absolute horror show" after Emory University Hospital told Adriana's family that despite her being legally dead, she wasn't allowed to die. This is because the hospital - where Adriana previously worked - say it's acting "in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws". Advertisement The hospital demanded Adriana's body was kept alive on breathing and feeding tubes until medical staff determined the male foetus was sufficiently developed to be delivered by cesarean section. Health officials in Georgia reportedly believe that removing her from life support would violate the state's strict anti-abortion laws. The laws prohibit termination once a foetal heartbeat is detected at roughly six weeks. Despite Georgia's contentious law dubbed the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act containing an exception to save the life of the mother, according to the hospital, this didn't apply to Adriana. Advertisement 5 Her mum has asked for 'prayers' following the birth of her daughter's son Chance Credit: Reuters 5 Adriana was rushed to hospital with headaches which turned out to be blood clots Credit: GoFundMe They say this is because her life is beyond saving. Adriana's heartbroken family hadn't made a decision on whether to switch off her life support, but have been left devastated that the choice is no longer theirs. Advertisement Adriana's mum heartbreakingly told 11Alive: "This is torture for me. "I see my daughter breathing by the ventilator but she's not there." Despite Georgia's LIFE Act just about getting passed in 2019, it didn't come into effect until 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. This is the 1973 case that determined a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Advertisement Doctors anticipated that there will be even more problems for the growing foetus, with life-support systems not designed for long-term treatment of brain-dead patients. And with blood no longer running to Adriana's brain, the organ was already beginning to decompose. Director of the maternal foetal medicine division at George Washington University at the time said: "The chance of there being a healthy newborn at the end of this is very, very small." Contentious law Legal experts have argued that the ways in which anti-abortion laws have been written have made doctors and hospitals fear potentially facing criminal charges. Advertisement They also say lawmakers should have anticipated how the movement to establish what's been dubbed "foetal personhood" - where a foetus would have legal rights - would end up putting the rights of the mum below those of their unborn child. Some of Georgia's conservatives have even argued that the state's LIFE law has been misinterpreted. The state's Republican attorney general Chris Carr said in a statement that the law doesn't require doctors to keep brain-dead patients alive as turning off life support "is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy". But others like state Senator Ed Setzler have said that there's a "valuable human life" and that "it's the right thing to save it". Advertisement It is not the first time an American woman has been kept on life support due to a pregnancy. In 2014, Marlise Munoz became brain-dead due to a pulmonary embolism at 14 weeks pregnant. Hospital workers had refused to honour Marlise's previously stated wish to not be kept alive on machines. The medical staff cited a state law that stopped hospitals from withdrawing or witholding "life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient". Advertisement But Marlise's husband began a legal battle to get her taken off life support, with a judge ruling in his favour. Marlise was removed from life support before the foetus was born. What are the abortion laws in Georgia? By Annabel Bate ABORTIONS in Georgia are banned after around six weeks of pregnancy. They are not allowed after foetal cardiac activity, otherwise known as a heartbeat, is detected. The Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act prohibits abortions after this point, apart from if there are very limited circumstances like medical emergencies of if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. Doctors can face 10 years in prison for performing abortions illegally. When in Georgia who receive an abortion after six weeks won't face criminal charges or punishments.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Brain Dead Woman's Baby Delivered After Abortion Law Forced Her Kept Alive
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Georgia woman who was forced to carry a child for months while brain dead gave birth to the baby. She's 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." People hold signs during a protest against passed abortion ban bills at the Georgia State Capitol building, on May 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. People hold signs during a protest against passed abortion ban bills at the Georgia State Capitol building, on May 21, 2019 in Atlanta, 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 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. In May, an Emory Healthcare spokesperson provided the following statement to Newsweek: "Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws. Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve." Newsweek reached out to the hospital via email for updates. What People Are Saying 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." 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.
Scottish Sun
26-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Brain-dead pregnant mum's ‘corpse' being kept alive as baby grows… but family say it's ‘torture' & want her to die
Health officials in Georgia reportedly believe that removing her from life support would violate the state's strict anti-abortion laws LIFE OR DEATH Brain-dead pregnant mum's 'corpse' being kept alive as baby grows… but family say it's 'torture' & want her to die A BRAIN-DEAD pregnant mum is being kept alive for her foetus to grow - but her grieving family have said it's "torture" and want her to pass. Adriana Smith, 30, was nine weeks pregnant when she went to hospital in Georgia seeking treatment for agonising headaches three months ago. Advertisement 5 Adriana Smith has been kept on life support due to being pregnant Credit: GoFundMe 5 Adriana already has a young son Credit: GoFundMe 5 Adriana initially went to the hospital due to agonising headaches Credit: GoFundMe The young nurse was sent home by doctors with medication who didn't conduct a CT scan. Adriana woke up the next day with a shortness of breath and making gargling sounds, with the hospital later discovering she had blood clots in her brain. After unsuccessful surgery to relieve the pressure they were causing, Adriana was tragically declared brain-dead. The nurse has a seven-year-old son who is now without his mum, leaving Adriana's already-grieving family devastated. Advertisement But the already-harrowing circumstances turned into "an absolute horror show" after Emory University Hospital told Adriana's family that despite her being legally dead, she wasn't allowed to die. This is because the hospital - where Adriana previously worked - say it's acting "in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws". The hospital has demanded Adriana's body is kept alive on breathing and feeding tubes until medical staff determine the male foetus is sufficiently developed to be delivered by cesarean section in early August. Health officials in Georgia reportedly believe that removing her from life support would violate the state's strict anti-abortion laws. Advertisement The laws prohibit termination once a foetal heartbeat is detected at roughly six weeks. Despite Georgia's contentious law dubbed the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act containing an exception to save the life of the mother, according to the hospital, this doesn't apply to Adriana. Donald Trump announces 'Golden Dome missile shield' with Defense Sec Pete Hegseth They say this is because her life is beyond saving. Adriana's heartbroken family hadn't made a decision on whether to switch off her life support, but have been left devastated that the choice is no longer theirs. Advertisement Adriana's mum April Newkirk heartbreakingly told 11Alive: "This is torture for me. "I see my daughter breathing by the ventilator but she's not there." April also revealed how the foetus - named 'Chance' by the family - has hydrocephalus, otherwise known as fluid on the brain. This means that even if he survives the pregnancy, he could be born with severe disabilities. Advertisement April added: "He may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born. "Right now, the journey is for baby Chance to survive. 5 Adriana Smith has been declared brain-dead Credit: GoFundMe 5 Emory University Hospital, where Adriana Smith, a woman who was about nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain-dead, has been kept on life-support since February Credit: Reuters Advertisement "Whatever condition God allows him to come here in, we're going to love him just the same." Despite Georgia's LIFE Act just about getting passed in 2019, it didn't come into effect until 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. This is the 1973 case that determined a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Doctors have anticipated that there will be even more problems for the growing foetus, with life-support systems not designed for long-term treatment of brain-dead patients. Advertisement And with blood no longer running to Adriana's brain, the organ is beginning to decompose. Director of the maternal foetal medicine division at George Washington University said: "The chance of there being a healthy newborn at the end of this is very, very small." Legal experts have argued that the ways in which anti-abortion laws have been written have made doctors and hospitals fear potentially facing criminal charges. They also say lawmakers should have anticipated how the movement to establish what's been dubbed "foetal personhood" - where a foetus would have legal rights - would end up putting the rights of the mum below those of their unborn child. Advertisement Some of Georgia's conservatives have even argued that the state's LIFE law has been misinterpreted. The state's Republican attorney general Chris Carr last week said in a statement that the law doesn't require doctors to keep brain-dead patients alive as turning off life support "is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy". But others like state Senator Ed Setzler has said that there's a "valuable human life" and that "it's the right thing to save it". It is not the first time an American woman has been kept on life support due to a pregnancy. Advertisement In 2014, Marlise Munoz became brain-dead due to a pulmonary embolism at 14 weeks pregnant. Hospital workers had refused to honour Marlise's previously stated wish to not be kept alive on machines. The medical staff cited a state law that stopped hospitals from withdrawing or witholding "life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient". But Marlise's husband began a legal battle to get her taken off life support, with a judge ruling in his favour. Advertisement Marlise was removed from life support before the foetus was born.
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Brain-dead pregnant mum's ‘corpse' being kept alive as baby grows… but family say it's ‘torture' & want her to die
A BRAIN-DEAD pregnant mum is being kept alive for her foetus to grow - but her grieving family have said it's "torture" and want her to pass. Adriana Smith, 30, was nine weeks pregnant when she went to hospital in Georgia seeking treatment for agonising headaches three months ago. 5 Adriana Smith has been kept on life support due to being pregnant Credit: GoFundMe 5 Adriana already has a young son Credit: GoFundMe 5 Adriana initially went to the hospital due to agonising headaches Credit: GoFundMe The young nurse was sent home by doctors with medication who didn't conduct a CT scan. Adriana woke up the next day with a shortness of breath and making gargling sounds, with the hospital later discovering she had blood clots in her brain. After unsuccessful surgery to relieve the pressure they were causing, Adriana was tragically declared brain-dead. The nurse has a seven-year-old son who is now without his mum, leaving Adriana's already-grieving family devastated. read more news But the already-harrowing circumstances turned into "an absolute horror show" after Emory University Hospital told Adriana's family that despite her being legally dead, she wasn't allowed to die. This is because the hospital - where Adriana previously worked - say it's acting "in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws". The hospital has demanded Adriana's body is kept alive on breathing and feeding tubes until medical staff determine the male foetus is sufficiently developed to be delivered by cesarean section in early August. Health officials in Georgia reportedly believe that removing her from life support would violate the state's strict anti-abortion laws. Most read in The US Sun The laws prohibit termination once a foetal heartbeat is detected at roughly six weeks. Despite Georgia's contentious law dubbed the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act containing an exception to save the life of the mother, according to the hospital, this doesn't apply to Adriana. Donald Trump announces 'Golden Dome missile shield' with Defense Sec Pete Hegseth They say this is because her life is beyond saving. Adriana's heartbroken family hadn't made a decision on whether to switch off her life support, but have been left devastated that the choice is no longer theirs. Adriana's mum April Newkirk heartbreakingly told 11Alive: "This is torture for me. "I see my daughter breathing by the ventilator but she's not there." April also revealed how the foetus - named 'Chance' by the family - has hydrocephalus, otherwise known as fluid on the brain. This means that even if he survives the pregnancy, he could be born with severe disabilities. April added: "He may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born. "Right now, the journey is for baby Chance to survive. 5 Adriana Smith has been declared brain-dead Credit: GoFundMe 5 Emory University Hospital, where Adriana Smith, a woman who was about nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain-dead, has been kept on life-support since February Credit: Reuters "Whatever condition God allows him to come here in, we're going to love him just the same." Despite Georgia's LIFE Act just about getting passed in 2019, it didn't come into effect until 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. This is the 1973 case that determined a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Doctors have anticipated that there will be even more problems for the growing foetus, with life-support systems not designed for long-term treatment of brain-dead patients. And with blood no longer running to Adriana's brain, the organ is beginning to decompose. Director of the maternal foetal medicine division at George Washington University said: "The chance of there being a healthy newborn at the end of this is very, very small." Legal experts have argued that the ways in which anti-abortion laws have been written have made doctors and hospitals fear potentially facing criminal charges. They also say lawmakers should have anticipated how the movement to establish what's been dubbed "foetal personhood" - where a foetus would have legal rights - would end up putting the rights of the mum below those of their unborn child. Some of Georgia's conservatives have even argued that the state's LIFE law has been misinterpreted. The state's Republican attorney general Chris Carr last week said in a statement that the law doesn't require doctors to keep brain-dead patients alive as turning off life support "is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy". But others like state Senator Ed Setzler has said that there's a "valuable human life" and that "it's the right thing to save it". It is not the first time an American woman has been kept on life support due to a pregnancy. In 2014, Marlise Munoz became brain-dead due to a pulmonary embolism at 14 weeks pregnant. Hospital workers had refused to honour Marlise's previously stated wish to not be kept alive on machines. The medical staff cited a state law that stopped hospitals from withdrawing or witholding "life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient". But Marlise's husband began a legal battle to get her taken off life support, with a judge ruling in his favour. Marlise was removed from life support before the foetus was born. What are the abortion laws in Georgia? By ABORTIONS in Georgia are banned after around six weeks of pregnancy. They are not allowed after foetal cardiac activity, otherwise known as a heartbeat, is detected. The Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act prohibits abortions after this point, apart from if there are very limited circumstances like medical emergencies of if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. Doctors can face 10 years in prison for performing abortions illegally. When in Georgia who receive an abortion after six weeks won't face criminal charges or punishments.
