Georgia Abortion Law Keeps Brain Dead Pregnant Woman On Life Support As Her Mom Calls It ‘Torture’

Adriana Smith’s family say they are living a nightmare as the woman is being kept alive – only because she’s pregnant

A grieving mother has come forward to share the emotional nightmare her family is living through. Her pregnant daughter, who has been declared brain dead, is being kept alive due to Georgia’s strict abortion law.

Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother from Atlanta, began suffering from severe headaches back in February of this year.

At the time, she was already nine weeks into her pregnancy. Hoping to get relief, she visited a doctor and was reportedly sent home with some medication.

But the very next morning, Adriana’s boyfriend noticed something was seriously wrong. He heard her making strange gurgling sounds and struggling to breathe. Panicked, he rushed her to the hospital.

Doctors ran a CT scan, which revealed the terrifying truth—multiple blood clots had formed in her brain.

By then, it was too late. Medical staff declared her brain dead. But instead of allowing her to pass away, Adriana has now been kept on life support for more than three months because of Georgia’s controversial abortion law known as the ‘heartbeat bill’.

Adriana has been kept alive on a ventilator11Alive/YouTube

The law, passed after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected usually around six weeks into pregnancy.

Under this legislation, abortions are only allowed in cases of a serious medical emergency or when a pregnancy is medically deemed not viable.

Doctors are only legally permitted to perform an abortion if it’s necessary to save the mother’s life, to protect her physical health, or when it’s confirmed the fetus won’t survive the pregnancy.

In an emotional interview with 11Alive, Adriana’s mother, April Newkirk, shared how her family has been suffering for over 90 days as they try to cope with this impossible situation that falls into a legal gray area.

Doctors reportedly told them that, because Adriana is no longer seen as being in medical danger, they are required by law to keep her on life support until the fetus reaches a viable age.

“She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days.” she said. “It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, on a ventilator but she’s not there. And I’m touching her.”

Her mom says the ordeal is heartbreaking11Alive/YouTube

“And her son — I bring him to see her.”

April said the situation is made even more painful by the fact that Adriana’s young son believes his mom is simply asleep, unaware of her real condition.

“I think every woman should have the right to make their own decision.” she continued. “And if not, then their partner or their parents.”

April explained that the family still doesn’t know whether they would have made the heartbreaking decision to end Adriana’s pregnancy, which is now at the 21-week mark. But what hurts the most is that the choice was taken from them and the mounting medical bills are only adding to their burden.

“She’s pregnant with my grandson. But 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 told the outlet. “It should have been left up to the family because, I’m in my fifties, her dad is in his fifties, so we’re gonna have the responsibility with her partner to raise her sons.”

Adriana with her son before her medical episode11Alive/YouTube

“And I’m not saying that we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy, what I’m saying is we should have had a choice.”

According to the family, doctors plan to continue keeping Adriana on life support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks. At that point, they plan to induce labor and deliver the baby.

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