Nationwide — Adriana Smith, a 31-year-old pregnant African American woman from Georgia who had been brain dead for months, has finally given birth, and her family says she will now be taken off life support. Adriana is at Emory University Hospital and has been kept on life support for months due to Georgia’s strict abortion law.
Atlanta News First reports that her baby, a boy named Chance, was born on Friday. Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, said the name reflects the miracle of his survival. “Because I feel like he had a second chance at life,” Newkirk shared, asking for continued prayers as the family mourns the loss of her daughter.
Smith’s tragic story began in February when she visited two hospitals complaining of a severe headache. According to her family, she was given medication but not properly tested. Days later, she was found unresponsive and rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered brain clots. She was declared brain dead on February 19. At the time, Smith was about eight weeks pregnant, and her family says she was kept alive due to the state’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, which bans most abortions after six weeks.
Her mother has been outspoken about the ordeal. “Every woman should have a say in their body,” Newkirk said. “It’s just not right.” The family’s story drew national attention, highlighting the human impact of restrictive abortion laws and reigniting debates over bodily autonomy and medical ethics.
Emory Hospital Midtown released a statement saying they follow Georgia’s abortion laws and rely on expert consensus and legal guidance when making treatment decisions. However, a spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr contradicted that interpretation, saying the LIFE Act does not require life support to be maintained after a woman has been declared brain dead. “Removing life support is not an action ‘with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy,’” the spokesperson clarified.
Smith’s case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing national conversation about reproductive rights. Danielle Rodriguez of SisterSong, a Georgia-based reproductive justice organization, warned that unless the law changes, more families could face similar heartbreak. “This fight is not only local, it is global,” she said. “People are demanding the right to live with dignity, to be heard, to make decisions for themselves and their loved ones.”
Smith would have celebrated her 31st birthday this past Sunday. She leaves behind her newborn son, Chance, and a 7-year-old boy. Her family now faces the grief of losing her while preparing to raise the child she never got to meet.